


Thank You, Stay ❤

by MelonsAndWine



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: A bit of graphic violence, Alternative Universe - No Pandemic, Chan Bestest Leader, Do y'all even read the tags?, Emotional Support, F/M, Fluff, I like making Hyunjin and Han fight wtf?, I repeat, If I find a mistake in the writing I'll edit it, Kindness, My First Fic Okay?, My Memory Is Trashy, Reader Is A Representer, Reader Is Soft For Them, Reader has a relationship with SKZ, SKZ take my uwu's, So cute tho, Some Swearing, THERE IS KISSING AHHHHHHHH-, There might be kissing idk, Will add tags as I go, but only in Chapter 12, no smut tho, there is kissing, uwu
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-17 06:48:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 33,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29346144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MelonsAndWine/pseuds/MelonsAndWine
Summary: SKZ has a little baby marshmallow that was given to them the day they debuted. It represents their fandom, Stay. Every group gets one when they debut, and the group has to take care of their fandom representer. Their representer gives them love and support based on how much their fans love them. All representers have a human form, thought they rarely, RARELY, ever show it. So what happens when Chan sees their representer in her human form?
Relationships: Bang Chan/Reader, Han Jisung | Han/Reader, Hwang Hyunjin/Reader, Kim Seungmin/Reader, Lee Felix (Stray Kids)/Reader, Lee Minho | Lee Know/Reader, Seo Changbin/Reader, Yang Jeongin | I.N/Reader
Comments: 102
Kudos: 81





	1. Meet The Representers

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is slightly based off of @anelderlymeme and her SKZ drawings on TikTok. I wanna properly credit her, so go check her out. Her art is super dope.  
> TikTok: @anelderlymeme  
> Instagram: @anelderlymeme  
> Twitter: @anelderlymeme
> 
> Also, this is my first story thing (?) so just know that in case it's weird. And it might help to see a few of her drawings on TikTok so you know what representers look like.. Anyways, enjoy :P
> 
> AND, um, any dates in here that haven't been published to the public are fake, okay? Any big arguments or hospitalizations are F A K E. Just for the sake of the story.
> 
> Okay have fun >·<

So, you've read the summary. You know a little bit about representers, a.k.a you, but there's still some valuable information you need to know.

\- Representers do have names. They are the name of the groups fans (Like for Stray Kids, their's would be Stay, for BTS, it would be ARMY, etc.)  
\- Their names are written on their stomachs.  
\- Representers need to be taken care of by their families (the group) or else they'll die out, and so will their fans' love for them.  
\- Representers can't talk, unless they're in their human form. Instead, they have a mini notepad with an infinite number of pages to write on.  
\- Representers also have a mini lightstick that is an exact replica of the group's.  
\- Each group only gets 1 Representer.  
\- If a group disbands, their representer will disappear.  
\- If a group doesn't properly take care of their Representer for a while, they'll disappear for a period of time (minimum 1-3 hours, maximum 1 week) to recharge. They'll also disappear to sleep at night, but can be called back if a member needs them.  
\- If a Representer isn't taken care of at all, they'll disappear for good, the band will be harshly scolded, and they won't be able to get another.  
\- Representers also have these sort of powers. They can jump up really high onto things like tables, into the arms of a family member, or onto their families head.  
\- They can also change in size. Their biggest size is about the size of a regular teddy bear, for situations where cuddles are needed, and their smallest is their normal size.  
\- Representers usually aren't taken out of the dorm. But, they can be taken to the dance studio, recording studio, or music studio if a band members is stressed there.  
\- Some people also try to steal and sell Representers, which is why they shouldn't be taken out of the dorms.  
And we love our Representers ❤


	2. Intro, Pt 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> T e e h e e fluff go brrrrrrr uwu
> 
> The dates that lead up to where Stray Kids and their Representer are now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So let me tell y'all something before y'all @ me. This chapter DOES mention Woojin (and the next one will too), since some of these events (real and fake) happen before he leaves.
> 
> And it talks about the day he left. If you don't like that, just skip the chapters. It's just events that lead up to the present, fluff and comfort uwu
> 
> Will these events be in chronological order? Not when I begin writing them, no. But once this chapter is published, will they be? Yes. Yes, they will.

March 25th, 2018

After an intense debut day, all 9 members of Stray Kids were called into their manager’s office. They were all confused, Chan being the most since they had just debuted and they still had a lot to do. When they walked into the office, there was a white box on their manager’s desk, with their manager sitting in the chair behind it.  
“Ah, boys, there you are.” He said, looking up from something he was reading.  
“Hello, manager-nim.” Chan said, bowing respectfully, the other members following suit. “You called for us?”  
“Yes, I did.” He said, getting out of his chair and going around the desk. “I have a present for you boys.”  
He picked up the white box and handed it to Chan. “Be careful, it’s fragile.”  
When Chan was given the box, it felt a bit squishy.  
“It’s… squishy,” He said, a bit confused.  
“What’s even in there?” Jeongin asked, peeking over Chan’s shoulder, trying to poke the box.  
“Maybe it’s a pillow?” Hyunjin asked, still tired from their activities of the day.  
“One tiny pillow for us 9? I highly doubt it.” Minho said.  
“Maybe it’s just for Channie-hyung.” Felix said, leaning on Woojin, trying his best not to fall asleep.  
“Actually, it’s for all of you boys. But only Chan can make it work, since he’s the leader.” Their manager began to explain. “You boys were taught about Representers as trainees, right?”  
All 9 boys’ eyes lit up, as they stared at their manager in awe.  
“No…” Felix said, waking up a bit more.  
“You mean….!?” Jeongin and Seungmin said at the same time, with excitement in their voices.  
“Well,” Their manager began, “You’ll need a name for them. Their name will be the name for your fandom. You don’t have to pick now, but when you’re ready, say their name and they’ll wake up.”  
Chan stared at the squishy, white box in his hands, as tears began to prick in the corners of his eyes.

"Holy shit..." He thought. "I debuted. WE debuted."

May 3rd, 2018

11:12  
That’s what the time on Chan’s laptop read. Or, at least he thought it did. He wasn’t too sure. It could’ve said 12:12. It could’ve been A.M by now. He was too tired to think straight, and yet he still worked, worked, worked. He was sitting at the coffee table in the living room, with his laptop in front of him, papers scattered everywhere, one of his headphones plugged into his left ear, trying so hard not to wake the others. They were all asleep, or at least he thought they were. Woojin and Han had come to him about 3 times earlier that day, or night, to check on him. He pushed them off, saying he was fine. But he wasn’t. He closed his eyes and laid his head back on the couch cushions. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that white, squishy box sitting in the same spot it has been for about a month now.  
“Fuck.. ugh.” Chan said groggily, sitting up to get a better look at the box.  
“Y’know..” He said with a whisper so he didn’t wake anyone up, again. “I can’t wait for you to come alive. I’d love to have someone to talk to during the night, while everyone else is resting.” He sighed, then continued. “I bet.. I bet once you wake up, I won’t push myself to work anymore. I won’t be so tired. I’ll hang out with my members more. We’ll eat junk food and watch a bunch of horror movies, even though we shouldn’t be.”  
He didn’t even notice he started crying until he felt something wet on his cheeks, but he ignored it.  
“I bet my health will get better. Mentally. I bet everyone-everyone wouldn’t be so disappointed in me because I’m so stubborn.”  
He stopped, and for the next 5 minutes, he sat there in silence and cried.  
“I bet, that-that once you wake up, we’ll all get better.”  
He hadn’t noticed that Woojin had woken up, nor that he sat next to him, nor that he was hugging him from the side.  
And they just sat there, Chan crying and Woojin hugging him until Chan fell asleep.  
Woojin adjusted him so that Chan’s head was comfortably on his shoulder, and Woojin himself was sitting up.  
And in a tiny whisper, Woojin said:  
“I hope you wake up soon. For the sake of all of us.”

August 1st, 2018

Stray Kids had just published the video of their new fandom name. “You make Stray Kids, Stay.” Chan mumbled happily as he and the others walked back to the dorm. Once they entered the dorm, they were about to head to their respective rooms when Jeongin said,  
“Hey Channie-hyung? Since we already have our fandom name…?”  
He trailed off as he pointed to the white box still on the coffee table, as it has been since they got it, rarely ever moving from that spot.  
“Oh, yeah!” Chan exclaimed, as he ushered the boys to sit around the short coffee table.  
“How do we get it to wake up?” Han asked, staring really hard at the box, hoping to wake it up.  
“Maybe we need to say it’s name.” Woojin suggested. “Stay.”  
Nothing happened.  
“I think Channie-hyung has to say it.” Felix offered. The 8 boys looked at their leader who was sitting directly in front of the box.  
“Stay.” He said.  
Still, nothing happened.  
“Stay.” He said, a bit louder this time.  
“STAY!” He screamed at the box, and still…  
Nothing. Happened.  
“Damn it! What am I doing wrong!?” He yelled, putting his head in his hands. Minho and Seungmin being closest to him, started rubbing his back in an attempt to calm him.  
“Hey, Channie?” Changbin asked after a moment of thinking. “What’s that thing you were mumbling on the way over here?”  
“You make Stray Kids… Stay?” Chan said, a bit confused. Right after he said that, the white box shook a bit.  
They all gasped, and looked at the box. Chan sat up a bit straighter, and a smile started to tug at the corners of his lips.  
“You make Stray Kids, Stay.” He said, with more confidence.  
The box then shook a bit harder, and Chan felt his heart swell up with pride.  
“YOU MAKE STRAY KIDS, STAY!” He happily yelled, as the other members’ faces filled with smiles.  
The box shook more violently, and then bit by bit, pieces of the white box began to break off until all that was left was the shape of what the group members assumed to be their Representer.  
“What’s it holding?” Jeongin asked, looking at the little marshmallow as if it was the best thing he’s ever seen?  
“Our future lightstick.” Chan said.  
“But it’s white. Everything about it’s white.” Changbin said, a bit confused.  
“Manager-nim said to give it a day or two, and then it’ll come alive.” Chan said, not believing his words as much as he should’ve.  
“I hope so..” Seungmin said, a bit disappointed.  
“Come on, it’s getting late. We need sleep.” Woojin said, helping Jeongin and Felix stand.  
“My foot’s asleep..” Jeongin pouted as he walked to his room.  
Once it was just Woojin and Chan in the living room, Woojin looked at the younger who was still sitting on the floor, staring at their Representer.  
“Get some sleep, Channie? Okay?” Woojin asked, a bit worried about his leader.  
“Yeah, okay. I will.” He mumbled.  
Woojin sighed, and left the room to go take a shower.  
Chan sat there, still staring at the little marshmallow, who was in a sitting position with its' head down, holding the lightstick in its' right hand.  
“You make Stray Kids, Stay.” Chan mumbled for a final time that night, before getting up to get himself ready for bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My stinking heart can't take any more ✌
> 
> There is most likely gonna be a part 2, since there are more events I wanna add, I type a lot .-.
> 
> Also if you didn't know, Y/N (you) are called Stay.
> 
> No, but fr let me know if I made a mistake of any sort, and yeah thanks for reading 📚 📚


	3. Intro, Pt 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 2, but this time it actually leads up to the present. There are 3 dates, one of which is real, and the ending is gonna be hella cute. Though...
> 
> As I'm writing the summary for this, I have no idea how the hell this is gonna go. So yeah, let's do this.  
> (I have not even started writing the chapter -_-)

September 29th, 2018

On August 4th, the wishes of Stray Kids were granted. That day, when 8 out of 9 members woke up, they went into the living room to find their leader sitting at the coffee table. But… something was off.  
“Channie?” Felix asked, cautiously coming a bit closer to their leader.  
“Hm?” Chan muttered with his back turned to his members, leaning against the coffee table.  
“A-are you okay?” Felix asked, peering over his shoulder. Then, a gasp escaped his lips.  
“What?” Hyunjin and Changbin said in unison, coming over to join Felix in watching.  
Another gasp left their lips, and soon, the rest of the members came to see what all of the commotion was.  
“Is that..?” Jeongin said, pointing to the marshmallow-like object in Chan’s hands.  
“Yup..” Chan said, not believing his words, although the proof was right in front of his eyes.  
There, in his hands, was their Representer. They were laying in the leader’s hands, smiling the brightest smile, waving the lightstick around. And that, my friends, was one of the best days of Stray Kids’ lives.

Today however, was not one of those days.  
For today, 3 out of 9 members were in the hospital. One third of their members were in an unconscious state.

On September 27th, Stray Kids were in a car crash. They were split into 2 cars. Their manager, Felix, Jeongin, Minho, and Hyunjin were in the first car. Chan, Woojin, Han, Changbin, and Seungmin were in the second. The road was icy, the temperatures were getting colder as the days went on, and the driver in front of the first car wasn’t paying attention. They ended up slamming on their breaks, making the first car have to swerve out of the way and crash through the railing. Thankfully, they weren’t on a highway, so the first car just tumbled down a hill. Chan, being the driver, carefully slowed down to not end up in the same situation as them, and jumped out of the car, as other bystanders stopped to see what was happening. He frantically screamed at someone, ANYONE, to call the police, call an ambulance, as he ran down the hill to the flipped over car.  
He immediately smelled blood, and dread ran through his entire being.  
With Woojin and Changbin trailing close behind, he tried everything to get them out of the car. He managed to get the front seat doors open to see Minho unconscious and their manager’s arm bleeding. He tried to get Minho out, but failed as his seatbelt was tangled.  
Behind him, Woojin and Changbin managed to pry the backseat open to find Felix knocked out with blood coming from the side of his head, Jeongin secured behind one of Hyunjin’s arms, also knocked out, and Hyunjin was curled up into a ball, grip tight on Jeongin’s hoodie. 

Within minutes, the police and an ambulance had arrived, gotten the occupants out of the car, and transported them to the hospital.  
Changbin was throwing up behind a nearby tree, overwhelmed with emotions and smells, Woojin patting his back in an attempt to calm him, Seungmin was crying in Han’s arms, and Han trying to conceal his own tears for his teammate, letting a few escape here and there.

And Chan? Oh, poor, sweet Chan. He was broken. He hadn’t left that spot where he was knelt down by the car in the half hour it took to get them out of the car and into the hospital. He didn’t care who was watching, he didn’t care how his knees ached, or how the smell of gasoline and blood had overtaken every other sense until it was all he could think about. What he cared about, was his members.  
“Were they okay?” “Will they make it out?” “Is anything going to end up permanent?” Those questions ran through his mind over and over. Tears were flowing freely now, and he had no energy to wipe them. He only got up when Seungmin came up to him, sat down beside him, and hugged him tightly in the cold weather.  
“Come back, Channie-hyung.” Seungmin whispered. “We need you.”  
And somehow, hearing Seungmin's voice, brought a little comfort to Chan, telling him that everything's going to be okay. ---------- It has now been two days since the accident. The doctors told the remaining members that Felix, Jeongin, and Minho would be unconscious and would need stitches, but other than that, they should be okay. Should.  
They went to their hospital room, stayed there the whole day, and ended up having to leave at around 7 p.m. Chan was still sitting on one of the chairs facing directly in front of Felix’s bed, with Minho and Jeongin laying in beds to the left. A nurse came in to bring him some food, and after she said goodnight and closed the door, he immediately opened the bag he brought from the dorm, and there you were. You jumped out of the bag, and into his hands.  
He looked down at you with a sad smile.  
“Hey, Stay.” He said.  
You looked at him confused, but smiled anyways. As you turned to look around the room, your tiny heart dropped.There, you saw the three members in hospital beds, unconscious.  
You whipped out your pencil and notepad, and quickly wrote, “What happened?”  
Chan looked down at you again, with some tears flowing down his cheeks.  
“They got into a car crash, but they’ll be fine. Trust me.”  
You were shocked by his words, since you had no idea that happened.  
You grew to a teddy bear size, seeing as Chan needed a hug. And let me tell you, if you weren’t as delicate as a feather, he would have hugged you so hard you’d suffocate. But he didn’t. Instead, he just hugged you hard. You stayed like that for a few minutes until he let you go.  
You then shrunk down to your normal size and leaped over to Felix’s bed, careful not to disturb him or any cords hooked up to his body.  
You got close to his cheek, then gave him a small peck, then another on his nose, and a final of his forehead. You repeated that process to Minho and Jeongin, before jumping back into Chan’s waiting arms and giving him the same pecks you gave the other 3.  
“Thank you, Stay.” Chan said before drifting off to sleep as the after effects of all his worrying began to make his body tired.  
You grew a bit bigger, found a spare blanket to cover him with, laid it on top of him, then found yourself comfortable back in Chan’s backpack as you followed the leader into sleep.

October 27th, 2019

The past year has been perfect. Felix, Jeongin, and Minho had healed, the stitches were out, the scars were lightening, and the hair that had to be cut off for the stitches had completely grown back.  
Stray Kids were getting better and better with each song they produced, and you were there to cheer them on. They looked to you for inspiration, support, or just someone to talk to them. You had lots of fun watching them be on TV shows, laugh on VLives, and just being happy.

But the moment you woke up, something felt... different.

The members of Stray Kids had told you about their upcoming album release, and you were so excited for it. But when you stepped out of your little nook in Jeongin’s bed, he wasn’t there like he normally would be. Neither were his roommates. You jumped to the other rooms, but no one was there. Not the kitchen, not the living room, porch, or other bedrooms.

And as soon as you made it down the hall to where Woojin, Changbin, and Felix slept, reality hit you in the face.

Woojin’s bed wasn’t just empty. It was E M P T Y. No blankets, pillows, sheets, nothing. When you went into the closet, his side was empty as well. So was his stand of rings, and everything else he owned. You started to panic a bit, but you knew you couldn’t and shouldn’t leave the dorm, so you went into the living room and sat atop one of the lights hanging from the ceiling, waiting for them to come home.

They entered the dorm around 6:30, and you immediately jumped into the arms of the first person who entered, which happened to be Minho.  
“Hey, Stay!” He said, laughing as you peppered kisses across his face. “What’s up?”  
You pulled out your notebook, still sitting in his hands, and you wrote:

“Where’s Woojinnie?”

All of the member’s faces dropped, and they all shared a look that you could not read.  
“He’s, um.. He’s not here anymore, Stay.” Changbin said from behind you. You turned to face him, with a scared expression.  
“Oh, OH! Oh nononono, he’s not dead.” Changbin said quickly so you didn’t get a bad idea in your head.  
“He’s not in the group anymore. He left.” Chan said, putting his bag down on the couch. You wrote “Why?” on your notepad as you jumped over to be in front of Chan.  
“Complicated reasons, Stay.” Chan said, shaking his head a bit. “But it’s fine. You know why?” Chan crouched down in front of you as he asked that so you two could be eye level.  
You tilted your head at him, as if to ask “Why?”  
“Because look around. We didn’t disband. And you still have 8 members that will love you. One person won’t change that, baby girl.” Chan said, motioning to the other members behind him, all of them sharing the same smile.  
You mimicked their smile, and kissed Chan right on the nose, which made him blush and smile, which then resulted in Jisung and Felix teasing him, making him blush harder.  
While Seungmin, Minho, and Hyunjin worked on dinner, Jisung and Felix continued to poke at Chan, while you asked Changbin and Jeongin about their day.

You all had a lovely relationship. You were so glad nothing would change it.

You hoped nothing would change it.

But, Stay, you had no idea what the future would hold, nor how it would affect all of your lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a bit long... but FINALLY DAMN IT, WE'RE GETTING INTO THE REAL STORY. Also I was gonna write a clarification, but i forgot what it was. Eh, it'll come to me once I finish this chapter.
> 
> Hopefully.
> 
> (I finished writing the chapter, it didn't come back to me)
> 
> Also, my girlfriend says "Hi to all of my baby's readers! Have a lovely day."
> 
> She's so sweet.
> 
> Let me know if I misspelled something or need to correct something. I write this during my classes, which I probably shouldn't be (pay attention in class, kids)


	4. Secrets Exposed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So........ You read the title chapter, I think you know what's going to happen. I'm kind of giving Chan a bit of a scare lol.
> 
> I'm evil 😈
> 
> But Channie bestest boy and deserves all the love for his soft heart ❤
> 
> (If you read something that said 'This is filler', I posted that on accident. Sorry 😅)

November 6th, 2019.

The year was almost ending. Stray Kids were getting better and better each day, and they were inspiration to so many people, and to each other. And you? You were there every step of the way. Through their arguments…

_ "Han Jisung, how many fucking times do I have to tell you!?" Changbin screamed from the living room. "Stay out of my shit!" _

_ With fury, he snatched his phone from Jisung's hand. But Jisung wasn't having it. "What's so bad on there that you don't want us to see!? We share our phones with each other all the time, you asshole!" "Personal shit, dude. Now leave me alone!" Changbin tried to get around Jisung, but Jisung blocked his path.  _

_ "You aren't leaving until you tell me why you're being so damn secretive." Jisung said, his voice a bit quieter but still loud. "Fuck off!" Changbin yelled, pushing Jisung, which almost made him fall. _

_ "That's enough." Chan said, trying to break up the argument by putting his hand on Changbin's shoulder. _

_ "Get off of me, damn it!" Changbin said with tears threatening to spill from his eyes. _

_ You were watching from a corner of the room, but you couldn't stand to see them arguing, so you took action. You leapt across the living room with ease, landed on the back of Changbin's head, and hugged him tight. You felt him freeze, then slightly relax, and push Chan's away as he walked into his room with you still on his head. From then on, no one questioned him about his phone. Once he calmed down, he went to Chan and Jisung separately to apologize." _

Their stressed moments…

_ Chan sat at his laptop again, for the twelfth night in a row. "Just gotta finish these last few beats." He'd mumble to himself as his eyes desperately tried to close. You noticed he'd been feeling bad lately, so you had Jeongin bring you to the recording studio with a bottle of water. As quietly as he could, he opened the door, pushed you and the bottle of water in, and closed the door. You grew a bit bigger to have the strength to push the water bottle, and walked over to where Chan was sitting on the couch. You carefully tugged on his pant leg, not so much to disturb him but enough so that he'd notice you. When he looked down to you, you smiled and motioned to the bottle of water. _

_ "Thank you, Stay." He said with a slightly raspy voice. He gratefully took the water, and chugged it all in one go. Once he was finished you jumped up, made yourself to your smallest size, and rested in the crook of his neck. But, not before you wrote on your notepad "Turn the damn brightness down, you're straining your eyes." _

_ "Wow, who knew you cursed." Chan said, laughing a bit as he turned the brightness down halfway, and continued working with you on his neck. _

And most importantly, their triumphant moments.

_ On April 4th, 2019, Stray Kids got their first trophy win at the M Countdown. They were ecstatic. There were hugs, tears, and laughs of joy. You and their manager were watching backstage, him being careful so you weren't seen, but you could watch your family get their first win. You were so happy for them, and you knew that their hard work had finally paid off. _

_ You were brought back to the dorms a bit before they were, you halfway in your biggest size, and once the door opened, you jumped from the couch and into Felix's open arms. And let me tell you, once that door *clicked* close, there was a mini party inside that dorm room. Felix threw you into the air in joy, Seungmin and Changbin were hugging each other tightly, Hyunjin jumped onto Minho's back screaming as they made their way into the kitchen, Han and Jeongin were dancing together wildly, and Woojin was giving Chan a pat on his back, thanking him for all he had done. You and your family were as happy as you all could be. _

Chan recalled all of these moments, and more, as he made his way back to the dorms. Stray Kids were supposed to be practicing their choreography for Levanter, but Jeongin and Felix forgot their coats. And Chan, being the lovely leader that he is, offered to go back to the dorms to get it.

You, however, did not know that. All you knew was that they'd be gone for HOURS. You hadn't had your human form out in the longest time, and you thought today would be a good day to stretch your legs. So, you closed the door to Felix's room, locked it, and stood in front of the mirror in the closet. There, you transformed into your human self.

You deemed yourself a pretty good-looking human, with clear skin and freckles. Your hair was down, since you hadn't pinned it up in a while. Your mix-matched colored eyes scanned your reflection from your hair to your toes. You had white clothing on, a white crop top that had 'STAY' written on it. You had white sweatpants that had 2 pockets on the sides of your legs, and white socks. 

You spent so much time admiring yourself, that you didn't hear the front door open.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------

Chan was especially excited to see you and show you a bit of the new choreography. He thought you were sleeping, so he quietly went into the living room to look for you. 

But he didn't see you.

"Eh," He thought. "They're probably in the kitchen eating kimchi."

So he went into the kitchen. But you weren't there. Weird.

He walked onto the porch, and into every room. But you weren't there. As he got into the last room that Felix, Changbin, and Minho inhabited, he saw that the door was locked. He didn't remember locking the door.

So he pulled out the spare key, unlocked it, and went inside.

And what he found was a random girl, sitting on the floor, with no sign of their Representer. And so, he did the only thing he could think of.

He ran.

He ran out of the dorm, and down the stairs, dialing his manager at the same time.

"Manager-nim!" He panted, running down the steps. "There's some girl in our dorm. And I can't find Stay!"

Wait. STAY!

He immediately turned around and made a mad dash back up the steps and into the dorm, ready to find you and get you back.

But you were there. You just weren't a marshmellow anymore. 

With panic running through your mind, you immediately change back into your Representer form, and ran, or jumped, after Chan. But once you reached the front door, you ran right into his face.

"Oh, oh Stay!" He says, holding you in his hands. "Are you okay? Did that girl hurt you? Where were you?" He asks you these questions while peering around the door frame to find the girl.

You pull out your notepad to write "I'm fine, Channie" while putting on a smile.

"Oh, okay. That's good. I'm glad she didn't hurt you." Chan says, kissing your head. In that second and a half, you made a decision. Representers weren't supposed to show their human form, you knew that. But.. now that Chan has already seen it, you'd feel horrible if you kept this secret for any longer. Family doesn't keep secrets, at least in your house they didn't.

So, you flip the page and write, "Channie. Can you take me inside, please?"

"Sure!" He says, cautiously coming inside and closing the door. "What's up?" 

You jump on the couch, and write on the notepad, "Don't freak out. Please?"

Chan comes closer to where you are, and smiles his stupidly cute smile. "Why would I? Also, do you know if that girl left? It makes me nervous to know she could still be in here."

You put your notepad away, take a deep breath, look Chan in the eyes, and transform to your human form.

Chan's eyes wide in shock, and he takes a step back. 

You, still sitting on the couch with your hands in your lap, nervously smile.

"A-actually..." You begin, your voice stuttering a bit since you haven't spoken in a while. "That girl's.. right here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELL YEAH! also um I left the description of Stay a bit vague so that y'all could imagine her to look however you want. She can look like you, or she can be someone entirely different.
> 
> Have fun :)
> 
> Also, TECHNICALLY, since Stay was given to Stray Kids on August 1st 2018, she would TECHNICALLY be 2 years old ._.
> 
> But for the sake of this, she's like, 19-20.
> 
> Also, I figured out how to italic and bold. Yay!


	5. Don't Push Me Away, Please.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine's day, lovelies!
> 
> Due to COVID and the frigid temperatures, me and my girlfriend haven't been able to go out like we wanted.
> 
> But, I have a plan to surprise her 😉
> 
> Anyways, enjoy. Let's see how Chan (and the rest of the members) are going to react.

"A-actually…" You begin, your voice stuttering a bit since you haven't spoken in a while. "That girl's… right here."

\---------------------------------------------------------

Chan looks at you again, eyes wide, and he takes another step back.  
"Channie…" You say, slowly standing up and taking a step towards him.  
He backs up another step, and reaches a hand towards you, to stop you.  
"I didn't think your human form was real. I-I thought it was just a-a story they told trainees." He says, running his left hand through his hair while his right is still extended towards you.

His hand.

It's not a loving hand like it'd usually be. It's a scared hand. A hand saying "Don't come closer."

Does he not like you? Is your human form too weird? Maybe he is upset. Upset that you kept a secret from him, from _Stray Kids_ , for so long.

You look at his right hand, with tears welling in your eyes. You shrink back to your smallest Representer form, and push yourself into the couch cushions, trying to make yourself seem small.

You notice you've started crying, and Chan notices too, immediately crouching down in front of you, using his thumb to carefully wipe your tears.

You let him as he asks, "Why are you crying, Stay? What's happened?"

You pull out your notepad, hands shaking, and write, "You don't hate me?" You flip the page and write, "You don't hate my human form?"

As more tears spill from your eyes, Chan's widen.

"Nonono, baby girl, of course not. I could never hate you. You're beautiful."

You give him a look that reads, "Really?", and he replies, "Of course. I.. I'm sorry I made you think I hated you, Stay, I was just shocked. I could never think less of you, okay?"

He picks you up in his hands, and kisses your forehead.

"Wanna turn back so I can give you a proper hug?" He asks, giving you another kiss on your forehead.

You nod, and he places you down on the floor, and takes a step back. You wipe your tears as you turn back into your human form.

Your head hangs down, but Chan won't allow it. With 2 fingers, he carefully lifts your chin up so that you look him in the eye.

When your gazes meet, he gives you the widest smile ever, which makes you smile. He brings you in for a hug, and rests his chin slightly on top of your head while your face is buried in his neck.

"My baby's so pretty. Our prettiest fan out there." He mumbles, placing a kiss on top of your head.

"T-thank you, Channie." You say, happiness welling in your chest.

\---------------------------------------------------------

So, that's how you're here now.

February 1st, 2021.

The new year.

Only Chan has seen your human form.

Only Chan knows you have a human form.

Obviously, you feel bad for not telling the other members. But, Chan says that he'll tell them. When the time is right.

And apparently,

That time is now.

Chan has called a family meeting in the living room, you included, laying in the hood of Changbin's hoodie.

"Alright. Everyone's here." Chan says, a bit of nervousness lacing his tone.  
"Yeah, what's up hyung?" Hyunjin asks, redoing his ponytail.  
"So, everyone.. After some careful consideration and a bit of thinking, Stay has decided to show you all something they showed me in November." Chan says this while motioning to you.

You leap from Changbin's hoodie and into a space in the room where you can face everyone at once.  
"Ooh, is this a new skill?" Jeongin asks from his chair, his smile as bright as the stars.  
"Not… um.. Not exactly." Chan says, his nervousness clearer. "Don't freak out, okay? This has to stay secret."  
"What's gonna happen? What's the worst our baby marshmellow could do?" Jisung says, laughing a bit.  
"You- ugh. Nevermind." Chan says, laughing a bit as well. "You ready, Stay?"

As Chan says this, 8 pairs of eyes turn to look at you. 16 eyes in total. 16 eyes connected to 8 different, judgmental brains that could view you differently the second you show them.

So you don't. You get this sudden burst of anxiety, and scary thoughts, so you don't.

You run. Jump. Whatever. You just need to get out of there. So, instead of showing your family the secret you've been keeping from them, you coward away.

You quickly jump to the broom closet which is at the end of the hallway, shut the door (with ease, somehow), and climb up to the top shelf. And you sit there. And you cry. You cry because you're too scared.

You hear them calling out for you, but you ignore them. You have no strength to find them again. But, what's a family if they don't find you first. After a somewhat 10 minutes of searching, the closet door opens to reveal their youngest member, Jeongin. He immediately spots you, and reaches his hand out to you.

"Stay." He says calmly. "Come down. Please. We're all worried."

You feel a tug at your heart. You can't stand the thought of making them sad because you were too much of a coward to show them who you are.

"I promise," Jeongin begins, smiling a bit this time. "No matter what happens, we'll be fine. You know why?"

You shake your head as you come out of your corner a bit more.

"Because if you mess with Stay, you mess with Stray Kids." He says, smiling brighter this time. You both stare each other in the eyes for a few moments, then a smile spreads on your face.

You climb down and into his hand, feeling braver. "You ready?" He asks. You nod. Confidently. You nod, confidently.

He makes his way back into the entrance to the living room, and now 7, relieved, pairs of eyes are on you.

Jeongin places you down on the floor, and they all look at you.

"No matter what, no matter what happens, don't worry. We'll be here with you the whole time." Jeongin says, smiling down at you.

And with that, you take another breath, and transform.

Your eyes are shut tight, but you can hear their breaths hitch. You open one eye to peek out at them, and seven of them are staring at you. The eighth, Chan, is smiling.

You hold your breath, waiting for their reaction, when suddenly Changbin springs up from his seat in a lounge chair and runs over to you. Your mind is running, turning, thinking "What could possibly be wrong?" As he stands behind you. You feel him put his hand atop of his head, which reaches just below your ear.

"DAMN IT!" He screams, and you flinch at the sudden outburst. You freeze, waiting for him to say something, to express his disappointment, his anger, but all he says is: "SHE'S TALLER THAN ME! WHAT THE HELL!? ARE YOU JOKING!?"

You let out a breath you forgot you were holding, and soon, 8 of you are laughing.

Laughing. With you. As a family.

You feel all of the built up pressure in your chest as you and your family laugh. Excluding Changbin, who is still upset about your height.

But he's not really mad, you know that. And you're grateful. That they love you. That they aren't upset you kept a secret for so long.

That nothing's really changed. But you know, and I know, and _they_ know, that you're all going to have a talk about this.

But for now?

Let's just laugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's cold as all fucK right now. It's snowing, though. My girlfriend loves the snow, but our cats hate it, lol.
> 
> Stay warm! This chapter really squeezed my heart 💘
> 
> Again, Happy Valentine's day! Call someone you haven't talked to in a while, or a distant loved one. Show your love.


	6. The Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all, I am so sorry for not updating like I usually would. My Wi-Fi's being weird, and it's cold and snowy, so that makes things worse.
> 
> I'm writing these beginning notes on February 16th, because I don't know when this chapter will get published because of all the weird weather.
> 
> Anyways, no matter what day you're reading this, enjoy.

It's been a full week since you've shown your family your human form.

And honestly?

Not much has changed. You haven't brought out that form since then, but you're just grateful that your family still loves you for who you are.

They haven't asked about seeing it again either, which makes you feel good inside and-

Hm? What's that? Oh, right! That talk I mentioned in the last chapter.

Well, see….. here's the thing.

Chan had called for you around 11 p.m last night for an unknown reason while you were scrolling through Felix's Instagram (without him knowing, of course) to look at the "latest fashion trends" and whatnot.

When you got the call, you happily sprung up from your spot on Felix's pillow, whipped out your notepad for speaking, and hopped into the living room. Once you got to the entrance to the living room, though, what you saw… slightly scared you.

All 8 Stray Kids members were sitting in various seats in the living room, talking quietly to each other. And once Chan noticed you out of the corner of his eye, he turned his head towards you with a bit of a bored face on his face. The rest mimicked his action and expression.

You were a bit nervous as you locked eyes with Minho and he made a "come here" motion with his index and middle finger.

You slowly walked behind him, as he was seated on the couch with Changbin and Hyunjin to his left and Seungmin on his right, and jumped up to sit near his neck on the back of the couch. He laid his head back on the couch so he could look at you, and once you both locked eyes for a second time that night, his gaze softened.

"Hey, Stay." He said softly, as to not startle you. "We just want to ask you a few questions. Is that okay?"

You let out a breath, thankful that the silence has been broken, and nodded to him. He raised his head up to look at Jeongin, and you followed his line of sight.

"How long?" Jeongin asked, his eyes soft and a slight smile on his face because, well, you were the one he was looking at. "Were you planning to keep this from us, I mean."

You quickly wrote on your notepad, "I never meant for you all to find out, actually."

"Hm. Okay." Jeongin said, his eyes looking distant, as if he was thinking of something.

"Hey, Stay." Changbin called. You nervously turned to face him, gripping your notepad tighter. "If Chan hadn't seen you as a human, would you have told us on your own terms?"

You bit your lip, thinking hard. On one hand, you weren't even supposed to show it to them, and you didn't like breaking the rules. On the  _ other  _ hand, you wouldn't have wanted to keep a secret from them.

"I don't know." Was what was written on a page in your notepad.

Changbin nodded, with that same distant look that Jeongin had just minutes ago.

You heard someone's throat clear, and followed the sound to end in looking in the direction of Han Jisung.

"I have a question." Han stated as a matter-of-factly. "Why were you so scared to show us your human form?"

You paused for a bit, your head coming up with a million different answers. In the end, you chose the simplest one you could think of.

"Because I didn't want anything to change."

Han looked at your notepad, then you, then your notepad, before his eyes finally landed on you.

"Why would anything change, Stay?" 

By now, all of Stray Kid's eyes were on you, their gazes no longer bored and judging, but more concerned and confused. 

"Because.." You started writing on your notepad, but you scribbled over it and flipped to a new page.

"Because what if you didn't like me as a human? What if you thought differently of me or something?"

You showed the notepad to them, and you could feel their hearts drop.

"We could never love you differently, Stay. You represent what we're here for. We love you." Felix said, as he fully turned to face you from his spot on the adjacent couch while his deep voice soothed you and your worries.

But you still had a feeling gnawing at your gut, one that said "He's lying." 

You knew it wasn't true, but that didn't stop you from writing "You don't think I look ugly? Or that my voice is weird?" on your notepad.

Felix's jaw dropped, and he looked as if he was about to cry when Seungmin picked you up and brought you over to his face.

He placed multiple kisses on your forehead and stomache, making you giggle.

"I'm offended, Stay!" He said while fake pouting. "How dare you think we'd think you're ugly!"

"Yeah!" Han interrupted. "You could look horrible and we'd still love you!"

"Jisung, shut the fuck up. You're not helping." Hyunjin said with clenched teeth.

"That's a weird way to put it, but essentially he's right." Chan said, smiling towards you as Han gave Hyunjin an offended look.

You felt your heart swell up with happiness seeing that your family was still in it's normally chaotic phase and they don't think less of you. 

But there was still that unsure feeling in the back of your mind, but you pushed it down as far as you could.

Seeing everyone happy and scolding Han again as Seungmin continued to praise you and pepper you with kisses made it all better. 

You encourage them, and they encourage you. Like a family should.

  
  
  
  
  


Heh. It's funny.

I guess you really do make Stray Kids, Stay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhhh I hope this one was good. My writing has been weird lately thanks to all of the cold and power outages and stuff.
> 
> Also, 2 questions.  
> 1) Would y'all prefer it if I called Han 'Jisung' or his stage name 'Han'?  
> 2) If I were to add a kissing scene between Stay and someone, who would y'all want it to be?
> 
> I'm also thinking of adding a chapter or 2 where it's just filled with members texting each other. Maybe? Maybe not? Hopefully, if the weather decides to stop throwing a damn tantrum.
> 
> Okay, pce ✌


	7. A Day Off (Finally)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn schnitzel, why do I kind of want to change the title of this work?????
> 
> Also since it seems that Channie has been getting a lot off attention lately, my guy gets a break and you'll get to hang out with some other members (I'll bet you can't guess who).
> 
> Aish, stay warm wherever you are if it's winter, and stay cool if it's summer.

"Ahhh, fuck." Chan sighed, laying down on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

It was April 18th, 2021, and Stray Kids were preparing a new song. Everyone was helping. Chan, Han, and Changbin were working on the music part of their song, Minho, Hyunjin, and Felix were working on the choreography (with the help of their usual choreographer), and Seungmin and Jeongin were working on the lyrics (with the help of Chan).

And you? You were there wherever you were needed. If they asked you to grab them something, you were there. If they wanted your opinion, you were there. If they needed you to settle an argument (usually between Minho and Hyunjin or Changbin and Han), you were there.

And holy mackerel, were they there for you.

You were pampered **way** more. You got more treats when you asked, and they'd buy you your favorite foods for dinner. 

As Changbin put it, "It's to thank you for all you're doing for us."

Their manager had called them earlier in the day telling them to take a break since they'd worked so hard the days before. But they didn't want to rest, especially Chan, since they were so close to finishing. But you wanted them to rest too, so you wrote down a whole, long ass list of why they need to rest, and stuck it on the fridge with a magnet.

Eventually, after seeing that list and your stern face multiple times, they had caved and gone into their rooms to relax.

Chan closed his eyes for just 2 seconds before his dorm mates, Hyunjin and Seungmin, burst into the dorm room, chattering loudly.

"Channie-hyung!" Seungmin yelled as he jumped atop of Chan's body and layed down across from him.

"Yes?" Chan asked, trying to even his breathing from the sudden impact.

"We wanna go get some tteokbokki!" Seungmin said, rolling off of Chan and onto the floor with an "oof".

"So?" Chan replied tiredly, sitting up to try and see his band mate.

"Tell him, Hyunjinnie!" Seungmin said from the floor. 

"Can we take Stay with us?" Hyunjin asked from his position on the floor, helping Seungmin to stand.

"Absolutely not." Chan said sternly. "She's not allowed to go outside."

"We know, we know, we know. But get this," Seungmin started saying. "We already wear masks when we go outside to hide our faces, our company knows we have a Representer, _and_ she has a human form, so no one will-"

"Did you forget that she's not allowed outside? Or **_maybe_ **that we broke the rules by having her even _**show**_ us that form?" Chan said, cutting of Seungmin. "We'd be in deep shit if our manager found out, and oh! What happens if someone catches a glimpse of your faces? Wouldn't they wonder why some random girl is walking with two Stray Kids members?"

Seungmin and Hyunjin stared at Chan in shock, before trying to plead with their leader again.

"But Channie, we'll be extra careful and-" Hyunjin started before Chan cut him off.

" **No.** That's my final answer. And quiet down, please. I'm gonna take a nap." Chan said, turning and laying down on his side.

Hyunjin and Seungmin looked at each other sadly, and exited the room as quietly as they could.

Outside of the room, though, the two boys smirked at each other. They had a plan. One that Chan _really_ wouldn't like if he found out.

\---------------------------------------------------------

You were in the living room, drawing on your notepad when Hyunjin and Seungmin walked into the kitchen, talking to each other about something.

Seeing them made you happy, and since you had wanted to test out your art skills, you decided to sketch them.

Hyunjin had a baseball cap on, a white mask under his chin, a white hoodie with multicolored flowers on it, light blue jeans, and chunky white sneakers, with his hair nicely underneath the cap. Seungmin was a slight opposite, with a neon green bucket hat, a bright orange shirt, slightly dark blue, ripped jeans, and bright pink high-tops.

The contrast of chill and outgoing between the two made you giggle, especially since between the two, it was usually Seungmin that is more chill and Hyunjin who is more expressive.

Hyunjin and Seungmin had noticed you giggling at some point during your fit, and walked over to you with smiles on their faces.

"What are you laughing about, Stay?" Hyunjin asks as he picks you up in his hands, which only makes you giggle harder. You show them your sketch of the two, and their eyes widen.

"Stay, this is awesome! Who knew you were so artistic!" Seungmin exclaimed as he got a closer look at your drawing.

"Stay, baby~, can I ask you something?" Hyunjin cooed as he set you back down on the couch. You nodded, and that was a signal for him to continue.

"Well, me and Seungmin-ah were wondering if you'd like to _maybe,_ kind of, changeintoyourhumanformandcomeoutsidewithus?" Hyunjin rushed out nervously.

You froze, the cogs in your head turning. You hadn't been out of the dorm in a while, and getting some fresh air sounded nice to you. But, you knew Chan wouldn't allow you to go outside, in fear of you being taken. Buuuut, you'd be in your human form. 

Oh. Your human form.

You weren't too comfortable with it, especially being around the other members. But they'd protect you. In all of your thinking, you hadn't noticed that the two in front of you were telling you something.

"-nd no one will, or can know! And you'll be safe, because you'll be with us!" Seungmin said, giving you his best puppy eyes. "Pleeeeaaaasssseeee."

Hyunjin mimicked his expression, and before you knew it, you were writing, "What am I gonna wear, then?" On your notepad.

Their faces lit up, and they high-fived each other. "Yes!" Hyunjin exclaimed.

"We'll be right back, Stay." Seungmin said as they ran off, most likely to steal someone's clothes for you so you wouldn't be wearing your normal, white attire.

You slumped down on the arm of the couch, thinking.

Chan would be absolutely pissed if he found out. And if the media got word of this, oh god, you could be taken away from Stray Kids! You felt a bit guilty, because you somehow knew that Chan had already said no to this, and you were going behind his back. It seemed fun though. And, you trust Hyunjin and Seungmin, so nothing bad will happen.

  
  
  
  
  


You hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this story, the dorm arrangments have switched from 2019 by the way, so I'm going to write those down so I don't forget.
> 
> 2 chapters in one day (even though this one seems a bit short to me) because I still feel bad about not uploading those 2 days.
> 
> Also, if you want, give me your description of Stay! Describe her skin, hair, and anything else. I'd love to hear from y'all.
> 
> Pce out ✌


	8. Taking A Risk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For no reason, I already know how I want the story to end, so yeah. It's gonna be hella cute.
> 
> Also, I'm 95% sure there's gonna be a texting chapter after this one. It'll be a bit serious, then mostly chaotic.
> 
> Lol have fun

A few minutes go by, then Hyunjin comes running in, and picks you up.

"Stay! We have 2 outfits for you." He says with a huge grin on his face. "Are you ready to see them?" 

You gave him a nod and an unsure smile as he led you into their bathroom.

You were thankful you always pestered them about keeping it clean, or else you would've regretted this.

"Okay, Stay. Choose one." Seungmin said, picking up 2 outfits on clothing hangers after Hyunjin set you down on the counter.

In his left hand was a pair of black overalls and a light brown turtleneck. In his right hand was a black and white plaid skirt, a slightly oversized sweater, and a large denim jacket.

"Don't ask where we got the skirt from." Seungmin said.

You nodded, wondering where they got it from but also thinking about which outfit you wanted.

You chose the one you liked best, and Hyunjin clapped his hands. "Great!" He exclaimed as he took it and Seungmin put down the other outfit. Hyunjin hung the chosen clothing on the towel rack, and he and Seungmin left to let you get changed.

"Come out in your Representer form once you're finished." Seungmin said, giving you a thumbs up and closing the door. You went over to lock it, stood in front of the cabinet, and grew to your human form.

You ran a hand through your hair and sighed. 

_"I don't know how much of a good idea this is anymore."_ You thought as you undressed from your white attire. _"Family doesn't keep secrets. But I never get to go outside and see other people. It's unfair. This will be a nice chance for me to explore the human world."_

You grabbed the first piece of clothing, and put in on. _"But… Channie. Oh, he's probably going to be really mad if he knows I left. Maybe he'll understand once we get back."_

You told yourself that as you smoothed down your hair. You winked at yourself in the mirror for good luck, turned back into your Representer form, and left the bathroom.

\---------------------------------------------------------

You found Hyunjin and Seungmin standing by the door, and you jumped up onto Hyunjin's head. 

"Hey, Stay." He said. "You ready to go?"

You froze for a second, before nodding and giving them a smile.

Hyunjin took you down from his head and placed you in his hoodie pocket, out of sight. He pulled his mask up, Seungmin lowered his hat down a bit, and then you three were out of the door.

  
  
  
  


Not wanting anyone to ask questions, the two boys opted to walk to a nearby market instead of being driven. The walk was peaceful, with Hyunjin and Seungmin chattering quietly above you, and you taking in the Korean scenery.

It was Spring, so the trees were lush and green, there were flowers as far as you could see, and the people! Oh, the people.

They were all in their own lives, schoolmates talking, couples walking, and others just being happy. You loved it, and you wished you could see this every day.

When you three got to the market entrance, Hyunjin whispered, "I'm gonna set you down by a stand. Find a safe place to transform, then come back. We'll still be by the entrance, I promise." He subtly looked down and smiled at you, then carefully took you out of his pocket and placed you down by the nearest stand. He and Seungmin walked to an adjacent stand, looking at all of the handbags that were being sold.

You went behind the stand to see the entrance to a restroom. You saw two girls headed in there, so you jumped into one of their bags as they entered. Thankfully, they didn't notice you.

The girl you were with set her bag down on the sink counter, and the two girls went into separate stalls. Being careful, you peeked out of your hiding spot to see that no one was in there. You climbed out of the bag, landed on the floor, and quickly transformed.

You looked at yourself once in the mirror, and smiled. Then you heard a toilet flush and one of the girls walked out of the stall. You panicked for a second, until you remembered that you looked like a human.

You and the girl made eye contact until you bowed slightly, said "sorry" under your breath, and quickly exited the bathroom.

Outside, you were caught off guard. For some reason, everything was louder and brighter as a human. There were lots of people, and you had trouble spotting Hyunjin and Seungmin. You walked back over to the entrance, and as they said, they were still there.

You came up to them and coughed a bit to get their attention.

Seungmin looked up at you from his phone and jumped slightly. "Hi, but um, do we know you?"

Hyunjin looked at him, then at you, then flicked Seungmin on the nose.

"Ow! What was that for!?" He exclaimed.

"That's Stay!" Hyunjin said in a whisper.

"Ohhhh." Seungmin said, still rubbing his nose. "Hi Sta- I mean, um.."

"Y/N." You said. "Call me Y/N. It's pretty."

"Okay, Y/N." Seungmin said.

"Ready to go have some fun?" Hyunjin said, wiggling his eyebrows at you.

"Yes. Yes, I am." You said as you took the hands of the two boys and led them into the market.

\---------------------------------------------------------

You three spent the whole day trying new foods, enjoying the scenery, and just having a blast. No one recognized the two boys, and that took a bit of pressure off your chest. But, all good things must come to an end. So, when the sun started to set on the horizon, you had turned back into your Representer form, gotten back in Hyunjin's pocket, and started your venture home.

You were still laughing a bit from recalling the memories of the day, and so were Hyunjin and Seungmin. They entered the dorms quietly, and shut and locked the doors. 

But once they turned around, they stopped dead in their tracks. You couldn't see what was happening, so you poked your head out of Hyunjin's pocket to see what was going on.

Changbin, Felix, and Jeongin were peeking into the living room from the kitchen door, Minho and Han were seated on the couch, and Chan was standing right in front of you three, with his arms crossed. And boy, did he look pissed.

"Where were you two?" Chan asked. His tone seemed a bit _dominating,_ and it made you hide yourself more in Hyunjin's hoodie pocket, but not so much that you couldn't see.

"We just went out, hyung. Don't worry, we didn't eat too much." Seungmin said, laughing nervously to try to lighten up the mood.

"Hm. Okay." Chan said. "Well then, **where is Stay?** "

"I-I don't know. Maybe they're sleeping." Hyunjin said, trying not to give anything away.

"I already called for them. They didn't answer." Chan said, narrowing his eyes.

"Maybe she's busy or someth-" Hyunjin said, before he was cut off.

**"Stay, come here please."** Chan said, and you felt a tug towards him. It was written in your DNA to come to a member that called you, and you couldn't resist your nature, no matter how much you tried. You put your head outside of your hiding space in Hyunjin's pocket, and locked eyes with Chan.

"You have got to be kidding me." Chan mumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Chan-hyung, it's fine really-"

"Do you have any idea how fucking WORRIED I WAS?" Chan yelled, whipping his head around to face you three.

"I had NO idea where Stay was, and no one else had seen them. And YOU TWO WEREN'T EVEN HERE! I couldn't even ask you guys." Chan was trying his best to not raise his voice too much, but he was teetering on the edge of a cliff with nothing but a string keeping him from falling.

"You left without telling me. I TEXTED and CALLED THE BOTH OF YOU- I tried at LEAST 10 times to reach you both, and what happened? You didn't answer."

Hyunjin thought back to all of the times his phone buzzed, but he ignored it since they were having so much fun.

"Hyung, we were together. Stay never left our sight, so-" Seungmin started.

**"What did you say?"** Chan said, looking at Seungmin with a look that could kill.

Seungmin stood there, wide-eyed. He opened his mouth, then closed it. His throat felt dry, and he knew he messed up.

"God- GOD DAMMIT! Wha-what am I doing wrong?" Chan questioned to himself as he ran his fingers through his hair. "Why won't you both LISTEN TO ME!? I'm TRYING, I'm trying to keep my cool and do my best but your making it FUCKING HARD! We have a song to finish, choreography to plan, and not only are you clowning around without telling anyone, you took **_Stay._ ** You took them outside after I _specifically_ told you **NOT TO.** "

Hyunjin and Seungmin stood there, frozen. They'd rarely ever seen Chan this mad. Sad, yes. Mad, no. They didn't know what to do.

"H-hyung.." Seungmin tried, but failed as Chan shot him a look that said 'shut up.'

"Kim Seungmin, Hwang Hyunjin. **Go to your room.** " Chan said, rubbing his temples.

After a second of no one moving, Chan talked again.

" **NOW.** And leave Stay."

Hyunjin took you out of his pocket, and placed you on the ground. He and Seungmin bowed to Chan and walked away with their heads hanging down.

No one uttered a word for a good 30 seconds before Chan spoke up again.

"What the hell, Stay? You _know_ how dangerous it is for you to be outside, and you-you went anyway?"

You had no energy to write, so you transformed into a human to speak.

"Channie, listen, please-" You tried.

"No, Stay, you listen. We would all be in huge, HUGE trouble if our managers found out about any of this. I try my best, I promise, but you have to listen to me. I don't want you taken away from us, so _please,_ just stay inside." Chan said, his tone softening.

You were annoyed, though. You finally got a glimpse of the outside, you got to truly experience Korea and just a fraction of what it had to offer, and he wants to keep you **inside?**

"No." You said firmly.

Chan looked at you, confused. The ones in the kitchen and on the couch were also shocked by what you had said.

"What?" Chan asked.

"No. First of all, my name is Y/N. Secondly, I finally got to see what Korea was like thanks to Hyunjin and Seungmin. I was a human, socializing with other humans, Chan. It was amazing." You said, staring him dead in the eye.

"Did you forget that you were walking around with two Kpop idols? What do you think would've happened if someone saw their faces? How do you know that someone didn't already?" Chan asked, getting agitated with you.

"But no one came up to us, no one looked at us suspiciously. We were _fine_ Chan. I can handle myself." You said taking a step towards him.

"You're a **child,** Stay." He said.

"My name is Y/N." You said, your voice getting a bit louder. "And I look like I'm Jeongin's age. Maybe even a bit older!"

"But you're technically almost three years old. You don't know about what could happen if someone knows who you really are! You don't know how dangerous people can be." Chan said, his voice level rising.

"Who _I_ really am!? Chan, I rarely get to go outside. I can only count four times I've been outside, and they were all to see you 8 perform. I'm not _complaining_ about your performance, but I was hidden in a backpack a majority of the time!"

"To keep you **safe** , Y/N!" Chan said.

"But you didn't see me out there, Chan. I felt good. I was having fun!"

"Because YOU THREE left without me KNOWING! You broke the most IMPORTANT rule." Chan yelled, pointing a finger at you.

"Nothing even _happened,_ WHY CAN'T YOU UNDERSTAND THAT, BANG CHAN!?" You yelled, swatting his hand away.

Chan looked taken aback. Everyone looked shocked. You always called him by one of his nicknames, no one has ever heard you call him by that.

"Y-you called me Bang Chan… you never do that." Chan said, his mouth agape.

"You won't let me _live,_ and I'm upset about that. I know we've only known each other for 2 years, but we've both grown _so_ much. You're just too- too stuck in your own head to see that." You yelled, your heart heavy as you pushed past Chan into Minho and Changbin's room.

You slammed the door and locked it. You didn't care if they couldn't get into their room, they'd be fine. Your mind and vision were clouded with rage and sadness. You didn't understand why Chan couldn't see you were fine as a human.

You fell onto Minho's bed, breathing in his scent as it calmed you and somehow lulled you to sleep.

Outside of the dorm, Chan was still in shock. Tears were flowing freely down his face as Felix came up behind him and hugged him.

"Damn it, how- ugh, how did I mess this up?" He mumbled, his voice cracking as he let more tears run down his face, leaning back into Felix's touch.

  
  
  
  
  
  


"How am I going to fix this?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This hurt to write a bit. Arguments make me sad. But Channie boi's maddddd but also sad poor baby.
> 
> But, everyone in a relationship, no matter if it's dating or friendship, must fight as some point. What matters is that you resolve the argument as soon as possible. 
> 
> It hurts to lose a good friend. I know from experience.
> 
> Also this chapter is dummy long 😐


	9. Texts Of A Million Worlds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TEXTING CHAPTER YESSSSSSS
> 
> Also would y'all mind if i put the kissing chapter after this one?? 😏😏
> 
> Don't @ me, you know you want it
> 
> Also also, I tried to make the 'me' pretty obvious, but if you're confused you can just ask me :)
> 
> (And for those who don't know, 'apple' and 'apology' are the same word in Korean)

April 25th, 2021

9:12 a.m

Lixie🌠

Hyung

Lixie🌠

Hyunggg

  
  


Lixie🌠

Damn it hyung, it's been a week and you haven't talked to any of them.

You want to fix this but you won't do anything about it.

Me

Felix, if I could, this would've all been over by now. 

But Stay

I mean Y/N is still very upset at me and the other two still flinch when I'm around, probably thinking I'll go off again like a bomb or something.

Lixie🌠

You, Hyunjin and Seungmin are ROOMMATES for God's sake.

Just walk into your room and talk to them. You can't keep sleeping with us, Channie.

Me

Where would I even find Stay?

Lixie🌠

Call for her when you're ready, idiot.

Me

…

Fine. But don't say I didn't tell you.

Lixie🌠

Yay :3

Me

Lol

  
  


April 25th, 2021

10:43 a.m

Jinnie-bitch

Whaddup DANCERACHA

Minnie Mouse

Shut up.

Jinnie-bitch

Make me, I'm texting y'all.

Me

Ughhhh you're so annoying 😂

Jinnie-bitch

You know you love me Felix, shut up.

Minnie Mouse

Why are you texting? We live in the same place.

Jinnie-bitch

Actually I'm out shopping with Seungmin.

Minnie Mouse

Clothes or an apple?

Me

Kkkk you're funny hyung

Jinnie-bitch 

Ha ha very funny 😒

Minnie Mouse

Kkk okay bye hoes

Jinnie-bitch

RUDE

But okay bye

Me

Bye idiots lol

April 25th, 2021

12:20 p.m

Me

Yo

  
  


Chan-hyungie

Get off of the group chat

Baby Bread

NooOo I like the group chat

Han ew Jisung

If you're so bothered by it, just mute your notifications

Chan-hyungie

I'm using my phone right now though.

Lee Minho

What's up with you all texting!?

We live in the same damn house

Young Min

But texting is funnnn

HH

Yeah! You get to use emoticons 😝

Me

Nobody calls them emoticons

Australia

You're bad at being a human

HH

Shut up or I'll whoop your ass when we get back

Me

Damn, y'all are savage

HH

Hey, um…

Has anyone seen my keys?

Young Min

DAMN IT HYUNJIN

Me

HOW DID YOU LEAVE THE HOUSE WITHOUT THEM?? 😂

Lee Minho

Dudeeeee

Australia 

Kkkk 

HH

IT'S NOT FUNNY 😤

Han ew Jisung

It kind of is lol

Baby Bread

You're funny Huyng

Young Min

Good thing I have mine.

…

Me

No..

You didn't.

Chan-hyungie

Y'all should've never left the house 😑

_Chan-hyungie left the chat_

Lee Minho

Exactly

_Lee Minho left the chat_

Australia

Since I'm kind, I'll help find your keys.

_Australia left the chat_

Baby Bread

I'm the evil maknae, fucK y'all

_Baby Bread left the chat_

Me

LaNgUaGe ChiLd

Chan-hyungie

Get off of the damn group chat you psychos

_Chan-hyungie left the chat_

HH

YoU gOt Me FeeLiN' LiKe A pSyCho~

Young Min

PsYcHo~

Me

Y'all are annoying af

Lee Minho

So are you

_Lee Minho left the chat_

Me

Istg hyung imma get you

Australia

Suuuure Binnie

_Australia left the chat_

Young Min

helLOOO!?

we still don't have our keys

Han ew Jisung

Too bad, you're sleeping outside today 

_Han ew Jisung left the chat_

Me

Haha losers

_You left the chat_

HH

Hello?

Young Min

Guys?

Seriously!?!?!?!

April 25th, 2021

5:18 p.m

Chan Boy

Hey.

Me

Hi

Chan Boy

Um, is Seungmin there with you?

Me

Yeah… why?

Chan Boy

Is he reading over your shoulder?

Me

Always

Chan Boy

…

Um okay

Listen, I'm really sorry about what happened last week.

I got.. scared and I snapped and I shouldn't have.

Me

It's fine hyung. We shouldn't have done that anyways.

We know you're just looking out for us.

Seungmin says sorry too.

Chan Boy

Ha, okay. Thanks you two.

Me

No problem.

But…

What about Y/N?

Chan Boy

I'll talk to them later…

Me

Good

Seungminnie says that he won't accept the apology unless you buy us food.

Chan Boy

…

Damn it.

You better be glad I love y'all

Me

WE LOVE YOU TOO HYUNG

Chan Boy

😑❤

\---------------------------------------------------------

Chan sighed as he set his phone down on his nightstand. He turned over on his side and stared out the window to reveal a sunset sky. He wanted to do something big for you, for Stay, to apologize. He knows you were hurt the most, and he wanted to make it up to you.

Different plans ran through his head as he drifted off into a nap, soon to be woken up by Seungmin and Hyunjin crashing into their dorm room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol that was hella fun to write.
> 
> Honestly I love going back to previous texts on my phone and reading them. It gives me nostalgia.
> 
> A N Y W A Y S see you in the next chapter.
> 
> K bye loveliesss


	10. Let's Try Something New, Shall We?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all ready for some F L U F F and kissing?????
> 
> Hahevjsjdnsh I'm evil let's make Y/N and someone KISSSSS
> 
> Tbh I'm writing this before I've started writing the actual chapter, and I'm kind of nervous of how this is finna go.
> 
> Also I think the chapter after this is gonna have like, a year time skip or smth idk.

May 1st, 2021

You sat on the couch in your Representer form feeling… depressed.

That's the best way to put it. You hadn't talked to Chan at all ever since your argument. You two would pass by each other, or walk into a room where the other was, but you'd barely make eye contact.

There have been a few moments where you both would try to talk to the other, but could never muster up the courage to do it. Chan, Hyunjin, and Seungmin were on okay terms with each other now, and you were happy about it.

But between you and Chan?

Oh lord, the tension was real. Everyone could feel it.

It was currently 6 p.m. Their manager had come in earlier to check on you all, and he felt the tension too. It was a bit suspicious, since last time he checked, there wasn't any uncomfortable atmosphere since Woojin left.

"Um, is everything okay?" He asked as he stepped into the dorm.

"Yeah, everything's great hyung. Why do you ask?" Han inquired as he closed the door behind them.

"Well, it just feels… off in here." Manager-nim said, looking around. He turned around to see Han giving him a confused look, but he just shrugged it off.

"Anyways, where's Chan? I need to speak with him." He asked.

"I think he's in his room. Do you want me to go get him?" Han said, pointing down the hallway.

"If you don't mind." Their manager said, smiling. Han nodded and went to go get Chan. Their manager sat on the couch, looking around, and noticed a sort of marshmellow looking thing sitting on top of a shelf, holding what appeared to be a notepad.

"Stay?" He asked, getting up to move closer to the shelf.

You turned around from your spot to see the manager, and a smile immediately appeared on your face. You jumped from the shelf and into his arms, kissing his nose multiple times.

"H-hey, Stay!" He said while laughing.

Your smile grew even brighter, until you heard someone clear their throat. Their manager turned, while still holding you, and the sight before you was enough to make you blush like crazy, if that was possible while in your Representer form.

Chan was standing there with a baggy, light pink sweater, grey sweatpants, are those combat boots?, and those gold earrings you always loved on. His hair was sort of swept to the side, but it also looked a bit tossed, so he could have just woken up. 

Chan bowed respectfully and said 'Hello' to his manager.

"Ah, Chan! Just the boy I wanted to see. I'm sure Han called for you, yes?" Their manager said as he put you down on the couch, you pouting a bit since you left his warm embrace.

"He did, yes." Chan said.

"Good, good. Sit down, then." Manager-nim said as he took a seat next to you on the couch and Chan sat in a chair across from you both.

"There aren't any problems, right? With your members getting into trouble or anything?" He asked as he leaned forward in his seat.

"Nope. There was a mild argument a few days ago, but it was quickly resolved." Chan said, not wanting to worry his manager but not wanting to lie either.

"That's good. I'm glad you boys are still getting along." Manager-nim said, smiling. "And what about with Stay?"

Chan looked at him puzzled for a second before asking, "What do you mean?"

"Stay's been doing what they're supposed to right? They haven't been acting out or anything, no?" Their manager said, smiling down at you, at which you returned with a wide grin.

"N-no, no, of course not. They've been a huge help lately." Chan said, twiddling his fingers and smiling.

"Ah! That's perfect." Their manager said, standing up. "Well, I'm sorry I couldn't have been here for longer, but I have to run."

You frowned, not wanting him to leave. He picked you up and placed a kiss on your forehead. "Be good, lovely, okay?"

You nodded and he walked over to Chan with you in his hands.

"Here you go." He said, handing you to Chan, who took you with shaky hands. You both walked their manager to the door, and after the goodbyes were said, the door was closed.

You turned around and locked eyes with Chan for an awkward 10 seconds before you leaped out of his hands and back to your spot on the shelf.

As you turned to face the wall, you heard Chan sign sadly and walk back to his room.

\---------------------------------------------------------

So, here you are now.

Regretting that you didn't say anything to him earlier.

You tried to drift off to sleep, but you were disturbed by a faint, and familiar, "Stay, come here please."

Your eyes shot open as you looked around for the culprit. But no one was there. Minho and Jeongin were in the kitchen with the music blaring, Seungmin was yelling at them to turn it down, Hyunjin and Felix were making a pillow fort for movie night, and Han and Changbin were arguing over what movie to pick. So there could only be one other person to call you.

  
  


Chan.

You heard it again, and got up to find him. No one seemed to pay attention to you, so you followed where the voice led you. You ended up on the porch, and you carefully stood on the railing to get a better look around. Your eyes went ahead, to the right, and finally to the left, but you saw nothing but the busy streets of Seoul. 

You heard the call again, and this time, it sounded a bit sad. Confused, maybe. You couldn't find Chan, and with all of the chaos inside, you doubted that any of them knew where he went. So, you ran inside, stole one of Chan's jackets in case it got a bit cold, and transformed into your human self.

You still had your clothes on from your little 'expedition' with Seungmin and Hyunjin, which you were thankful for so that you didn't have to steal anyone else's clothes. " _ I hope I don't smell _ ." You thought as you sniffed one pit to check, and another for good luck. " _ Yeah, I'm fine. _ "

You confidently walked out of Chan's room and into the living room, having a slight struggle while trying to put his coat on. Once you got out there, all of the voices went silent, and the music stopped playing. "I'm going to go find Chan. I'll be safe." You said, finally getting his jacket on. You glanced at the clock. It read 7:55 p.m.

You walked out of the dorm, peeking into the hallway to make sure no one was coming or there, and walked out. You went down the stairs, and out the back door (sksksk that wasn't even an intended pun I just put it there), searching for the owner of that voice.

You heard the call again, but this time it said, "Stay.. please. I really need to talk to you." It, no,  _ he _ sounded desperate, and it hurt your heart a bit to hear him like that. The voice led you to the opposite side of the building from when the porch of your dorm room was, and you followed the sound down a path lined with trees and street lamps.

At the end of the path was a gazebo, you remember it from Changbin talking about it once. But what was at the gazebo took your breath away. 

There were lights strung up at far as you could see, their colors a light pink and light purple. There were flowers, and inside the gazebo were blankets and a basket of what you assumed to be were snacks. The clear sky full of stars just made the place even more magnificent. But  _ who _ was inside the gazebo, made your heart flutter and drop at the same time.

Chan was sitting there, arms wrapped around his legs, head down, and he appeared to be sleeping. The only change in his outfit was that he swapped the sweatpants for jeans. " _ He must have sat here waiting for me. Poor baby. _ " You thought, until you heard a faint, "Stay.. I'm so,  _ so sorry _ . Come back… please."

You gasped slightly, tears forming in the corners of your eyes. You flew up the steps and fell to Chan as you wrapped your arms around him in a tight embrace.

He looked up at you confused **,** his eyes red and puffy. You smiled at him slightly, trying to seem friendly. It only took him a second to realize you were in your human form before he started crying a bit more and returned the tight hug.

"Hey, hey, stop crying Channie. I'm here, don't worry." You whispered, the nickname only making him cry harder.

"Stay…" He said, pausing to hiccup. "I'm so damn sorry. I should've never argued with you. I-I just…" 

"Don't worry about that. It's okay." You said, patting his hair down.

"No. It's not." He sniffed, leaving your hug. "I shouldn't have gotten so mad at you."

"You were just being protective, Channie. I shouldn't have agreed to leave the house." You said, a few tears slipping down your cheeks.

"B-but I'm the one who yelled." He said rubbing his eyes.

"Hey." You whispered, caressing his face with your hand. "Let's blame it on Hyunjin and Seungmin for offering the idea."

Chan laughed, then coughed, then laughed again.

He reached behind him to grab the basket of treats, and said, "Wanna eat?"

"What about movie night?" You asked, pointing in the direction of the dorm rooms.

"They'll be fine without us." Chan laughing as he pulled out a box of pocky sticks, which you took gratefully.

And for the next 30 minutes, you and Chan sat there, and laughed, talked, and apologized. You were happy that you had repaired your friendship with Channie, and it made you smile brightly. You spent another 10 minutes helping Chan take down the lights and put them in a box he  _ seemingly  _ got out of nowhere, picked up the blankets, but left the flowers.

"It's a nice surprise for anyone else walking over here." You said.

You and Chan walked back to the dorms, hand in hand, talking quietly until he stopped.

"What's wrong?" You asked, squinting in the darkness. The street lamp behind Chan did a bit to light him up, and you could see a slight tint of pink on his cheeks.

"Stay, I mean, Y/N…" He said nervously, looking up to meet your confused eyes. "Would you like to try something different?"

You were confused, but agreed anyways. "Sure." You beamed.

Chan took two steps closer to you, and looked you dead in the eye again, the blush on his cheeks clearer now, as he carefully reached his free hand up to your chin, holding it lightly as he guided your face to his.

You closed your eyes, not knowing what to expect, until you felt something soft on your lips.

Chan's eyes were closed too, and this might as well have been a cliché movie, where fireworks started going off behind you and a mighty gust of wind blew at your hair.

His lips connected to yours for 10 seconds, and in those ten seconds, you were on Cloud 9. You focused your breathing through your nose so you didn't suffocate, and once Chan backed up, you opened your eyes to find his cheeks a darker pink. 

"Channie?" You asked quietly. "What was that?"

"Something new. A kiss." He said, grinning shyly.

"Well, um, could we-we um.." You tried to ask, a blush spreading across your cheeks too as his smile grew wider.

"Sure." He said before he connected your lips again, this time a bit harsher, but still kind and loving since this was new for the both of you.

Your arms mindlessly found their way around his neck, and his other hand lightly grabbed your waist.

You broke the kiss this time, the both of you breathing a bit heavily as you stared at each other with hooded eyes.

You smiled widely, giggling as you brought him in for a hug. "Thank you, Channie." You said, your voice muffled in his sweater.

"Thank you, Y/N. For forgiving me." He said with a smile you could hear from the other side of the world.

\---------------------------------------------------------

The walk back home was… quiet. A comfortable quiet, though. You both carefully went through the back door (lololol), up the stairs, and into the dorm. When you both got to the living room, the cutest thing ever was waiting there for you both.

The movie was still playing, but the volume was down low. Felix, Jeongin, Hyunjin, Changbin, and Han were sleeping in what used to be the pillow fort and was now a pile of blankets and pillows, the coffee table moved to a corner of the living room. Seungmin and Minho were sitting on one of the couches in their own pile, peacefully asleep. Chan carefully walked to where they were and sat next to Minho. 

He made a grabbing gesture towards you, in which you took as an invitation to turn into your Representer form and jump into his open arms, between him and Minho's back, making sure you didn't disturb the others.

You felt at peace, your lips still warm from Chan, and your body warm from his and Minho's. You loved peaceful moments like these, and you would cherish them forever.

The last thing you remembered before falling into a rabbit hole of dreams is Chan mumbling a "Good night, everyone" before he joined you to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Manger-nim and Stay are so cute together. 
> 
> OMG I JUST REALIZED I HAVEN'T DONE A BIRTHDAY CHAPTER YET DAMN ITTTTTT
> 
> Also, do y'all spell it like 'marshmellow' or 'marshmallow'? I usually do marshmellow.
> 
> And idk if I already said this, but I see Stay as a like, tomboyish girl and their pronouns are they/them/her.


	11. 생일 축하합니다 (Happy Birthday)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...I WAS TIRED OKAY IM SORRY FOR NOT POSTING YESTERDAY 😞
> 
> But also...
> 
> Ew. 
> 
> Why the hell is this work already so popular?
> 
> But I'm glad that y'all like it uwu
> 
> Let's do a birthday chapter now, I'm excited for this!

July 27th, 2022

It has been more than a year now since you and Chan had kissed. 

A full year of side-glances and blushing.

A full year of wondering, "When can I kiss him again?"

Last year, the boys had caught on quickly to what happened because of 1) poking at Chan to ask where you both were that night, and 2) your inability to keep a secret. You had blabbed to them what happened, and they were ecstatic.

They were freaking out, asking "Why?" and "How?" and "What did it feel like?"

It made Chan a blushing mess, and they kept asking him if he planned to kiss you, which he replied "Yes and no."

Obviously those seven other boys asked for many more details, but we won't get too deep into that. And, this chapter isn't about the kiss, anyways.

Today is a hot summer day here in Seoul. It was only a somewhat 29.4° C, or 85° F, but it felt hotter thanks to the humidity. You and Stray Kids had things to get done today, but, obviously, the stupid humidity made things worse. So now, you and the boys were laying in various spots spread out across the living room, with the AC on it's highest setting.

You all had been in those spots for 10 minutes, enjoying the cool air. The blinds were closed, and the others were wearing t-shits and shorts, so you all felt nice and relaxed (though Felix and Han opted to go shirtless, which made you blush every time you saw them).

Everything was nice and chill until Seungmin got a notification on his phone.

He reluctantly picked it up, his eyes widening, and he quickly typed on this phone. Then, the other's phones buzzed and dinged. The look at their phones, when their eyes widened also.

Felix sat up, stretching, a nervous look on his face as he desperately tried to hide how he was feeling.

"Um, Stay, my love? We've um.. got to go." He said, looking around as the other members got up to head to their dorms.

You got up, back damp from laying on the coffee table for too long, and wrote on your notepad, "How come?"

Felix looked at Minho nervously, before Minho said, "Our m-manager called! Yeah, our manager."

You knew he was lying. He was a horrible liar when he was talking to you. But, everyone had left the living room before you could question them. And they left the dorm even quicker, wearing summer clothing, as Jeongin shouted a 'See you later, Stay!' while closing the door.

And there you were. 

  
  
  


All.

  
  
  
  
  


Alone.

  
  
  


It wasn't like that forever, though. They came back that day.

And left again the next. With no explanation. 

They did this again, and the day after that.

Now it's the fifth day since they started leaving with no reason. August 1st, 2022. You woke up in Chan, Han, and Jeongin's room, and for the 4th day in a row, you wake up to see no one there.

Surprise, surprise.

  
  


But also, the room was dark. _Weirdly_ dark.

" _Eh_ ." You thought, jumping out of Han's bed and stretching. " _It's summer. They're probably just trying to keep the heat out._ "

You still felt tired, so you climbed back into bed and went to sleep. 30 minutes later, you woke up to voices in the living room, and panicked until you recognized one of the voices as Hyunjin. You felt better knowing it was just them, so you drifted off to sleep.

  
  


You woke up again a few hours later and looked around to find an empty room. " _Weird._ " You thought. " _They're usually back after some time._ "

You got up, in the still dark room, and opened the door. The hallway was dark, and you couldn't see anything farther than 1 and a half meters (about 5 feet) ahead in the pitch black, so you pulled your lightstick out and turned it on.

The light was enough for you to see, so you walked down the large hallway, compared to your size at least, until to you got to the enterance for the living room.

You _thought_ you heard mumbling, and began to get a bit scared. " _Where were the others? Are they okay?_ " You thought at you attempted to maneuver your way throught the room. You failed once you ran into a chair, hitting your head slightly. Then, you heard a soft "One, two, three" and suddenly, everything was different.

  
  


\---------------------------------------------------------

  
  


The lights popped on, and the members all jumped out from their hiding spots to yell "SURPRISE!" You were in shock, eyes wide and mouth open as you took in your surroundings. There were balloons everywhere in multiple shades of your favorite color, streamers, and gifts sitting on each seat in the living room. There was a 'Happy Birthday' banner strung up, and an assortment of treats were layed out on the coffee table.

But what shocked you the most, was the cake. You climbed the coffee table to get a better look at it, and as soon as you did, tears fell from your eyes in happiness. It was a beautiful cake of your favorite flavor, with little icing flowers of multiple colors. In the middle, written in icing, were the words "Happy 4th Birthday!"

Chan came up behind you and crouched down to look at the cake with you. "Do you like it? I'm sorry we kept going and coming like that, we didn't want to ruin the surprise."

You didn't like it, oh no no no no no. You fucking _loved_ it. You immediately turned to him, grabbed his cheeks with your small hands, and placed a kiss on his lips. He blushed madly as more tears fell from your eyes and your grin grew wider. You turned around to look at everyone else, who also had large smiles.

"Happy fourth birthday, Stay. Thank you for being with us this whole time." Changbin said as he picked you up. You cried harder at his words, which he cooed, "Don't cry, don't cry. It's okay."

You whipped out your notepad, and wrote "Thank you boys. So, so much." You showed it to Changbin, who smiled widely and his eyes went glossy. "You're welcome, love. You deserve it." He said.

"Wipe your tears, let's celebrate!" Jeongin said, running into the kitchen to grab a lighter. Changbin set you down in front of your cake, and the eight boys gathered around the table.

Jeongin lit the candles on the cake, and soon, there was another 'One, two, three' and the boys were singing you Happy Birthday. And it was one.

Your gifts were meant for humans, but they were lovely nonetheless, ranging from clothes to drawing pads and art supplies, and a training bow and arrow (which had been given to you graciously from Felix since he was apparently a master at archery and wanted you to learn).

The cake tasted amazing, the conversation was absolutely hilarious, and everything was just.. **awesome.**

Once everyone had winded down from the party, you went to the front of the room where you could be seen. You transformed into your human form, and began to speak.

"Thank you boys, so much. I know we've done birthday parties before, but this one seems much more special. I'm so damn glad I was given to you guys to be your Representer. You all are the best family I could've asked for." You said, tears streaming down your face, wiping them away with your hands even though there were more where those came from.

All 8 boys ran up to you and squished you in a group hug, with Chan and Han being the closest to you.

You loved your family. Their personalities, their warmth, and their passion.

You all stayed like that until Hyunjin piped up, "Hey Y/N?"

You broke up the hug to look at Hyunjin. "Yes, Jinnie?" You asked.

"When'd you change clothes?" He asked, pointing at you with his finger.

You looked down to see that you were wearing your usual white crop top, white baggy pants, and white socks.

"Default setting, I guess?" You asked, laughing.

The other members joined you in laughing, before starting the clean up of the living room.

\---------------------------------------------------------

After the party, the boys gathered in the kitchen to make dinner. But before you could go and help them (even though you could barely use scissors), Chan pulled you down the hallway and into his room. You were shocked as he locked the door behind you. You turned to face him with a confused look on your face.

He looked at you, straight in the eye, which made you a bit nervous. You gulped, waiting for him to say something.

He stalked closer to you, keeping your eye contact, until your noses were mere centimetres apart.

"Happy birthday, Y/N." He whispered, before locking his lips with yours. You closed your eyes, that blissful feeling once again being lighted in your stomach as you draped your arms around his neck and his strong hands came to grasp as your waist.

You parted for air before coming back seconds later, the once soft kiss turning into a heated make-out session. And damn it, you were loving every second of it.

This time, Chan pulled back first, his lips glossy and red as he stared at your eyes before whispering again, "You're so fucking beautiful. It's crazy."

You blushed harder at his words before a loud knock made you both jump and whip your heads towards the door.

"Look, I don't know what your doing in there, but either use a damn condom or get your asses out here to help with dinner." Minho's voice rang from the other side of the door as you heard his footsteps retreat.

You both looked at each other before bursting into giggles. Chan looked at you again before saying a final time, "Happy birthday, lovely" as he gave you a quick peck on the lips. He released your hips to unlock the door, and grabbed you hand while smiling as he led you to the kitchen. 

  
  
  


You were smiling brightly, cheeks dusted with blush, and so happy, you didn't know what to do with yourself.

  
  
  
  


Best. Birthday. Ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg Stray Kids are so soft for y'all I- uwu
> 
> I wanna do another birthday chapter, who shall it be? Maybe Stay could be outside in her human form for this one. Risky business...... They might get caught.
> 
> But it's just a maybe (they say this as they're already planning the chapter in their head lol)
> 
> K bye I have school today and it starts in a somewhat hour :P


	12. My Little Bear Cub

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY! BEFORE YOU GO ON, LEMME TELL YOU SOMETHING!
> 
> 1) The first half of this chapter is focused on Woojin meeting Stay in their human form.  
> 2) There's a slightly graphic fight scene. The first sentence will be in bold for anyone who wants to skip it. The end sentence will be in bold, too.
> 
> But there will be comfort at the end, so don't freak out.
> 
> Okay, bye!

October 10th, 2022

The year is ending, the temperatures are getting low again, and you're walking outside, enjoying the fresh air. Somehow, after pleading with not only Chan, but the other 7 boys as well, they agreed to let you go outside.

On. Your. Own.

Now, see, here's the thing. It wasn't easy. You brought up the idea about a month ago while talking to Jeongin, and he just laughed and brushed it off.

He didn't know you were being serious though.

You brought it up again while talking to Seungmin and Minho, and they just laughed and patted you on the head. 

But you were persistent, and were dedicated to making them say 'yes.'

You directly talked about it with Hyunjin and Changbin, who told you that  _ "It was too risk _ y _ " _ and  _ "What if someone saw you leave? Or if our manager found out?" _

That was the end of the discussion as you were too tired to argue back.

You talked to Han, who said  _ "Hell no. I wouldn't risk that." _

When you begged Felix, you used every aegyo trick you had up your sleeves. Puppy eyes, stressing vowel sounds, and you even wrote 'oppa' in exchange for his name a few times.

He would've cracked, but then he said "Ask Chan-hyung."

You  _ almost _ had him, but it was okay, since Chan was normally a sucker for you.

So when you had walked into the recording studio where he was, you felt confident to make him say yes.

As soon as you stepped your tiny foot into the studio, you heard Chan's voice.

"I know it's you, Stay, and I know what you're going to ask."

You let out a breath, thinking this was going to be much easier than you thought.

"The answer is no."

It wasn't.

You ran into the studio, to find Chan sitting on one of the couches with his laptop, looking straight at you.

You were about to pull out your notepad to plead with him, but he beat you to it.

"You can't make me change my mind. It's too risky. You could get hurt, or we could get in trouble. No amount of guilt tripping will make me say yes." He said, his eyes boring into yours.

You sighed, lowering your head in defeat. You really didn't want to argue with him, so you turned and headed for the door.

"I'm sorry, Stay. You know it's for the best." Chan called out as he put his headphones back into his ears, shaking his head slightly.

About a week went by from then, and Stray Kids were called by their manager saying that they had some interviews to do, and they'd be leaving in 40 minutes. They had all gone into their rooms to get dressed, and came out to sit in the living room, waiting for their manager to come get them.

They were all doing their respective things until there was a knock at the door. Seungmin went to open it, and there stood their manager. Your eyes brightened when you saw him, and you jumped up to land on his head, placing kisses everywhere.

"Hello, Stay. Hello, boys." Their manager said, taking you from his head to hold you in his hands.

"Hello, manager-nim." Chan said, standing up from the couch.

"You boys ready?" He asked.

The eight members nodded, and were about to get up, when their manager asked, "You boys picked up the fan mail from the postal office, right?"

All boys looked at each other nervously.

"Changbin-hyung should have." Felix said.

"No, you told Han to get it." Changbin said in defense.

"We have fan mail?" Han asked, confused as all hell.

"Yeah, idiot." Hyunjin said, smacking him on the head.

"Hey, stop that." Chan said, putting his hands out as Han stuck his tongue out at Hyunjin.

"Didn't I tell you all that you were supposed to read some of the mail out in a video tomorrow?" Their manager asked, putting you down on the coffee table.

"Tomorrow!?" Jeongin yelled?

"Hey, hey, relax. I'll pick it up early tomorrow. No big deal." Chan assured them (but mostly their manager) as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"Okay, then. Just don't forget." Their manager said, clapping his hands together. "Be down in 10." 

The boys all said goodbye to their manager, and once he closed the door, they freaked out.

"There's going to be no time for me to pick up the mail. We have to meet with some choreographers tomorrow, right?" Chan asked, looking around at his nodding members.

"Damn it.." Chan sighed.

"Maybe we can ask someone else to do it?" Minho offered.

"Who, though?" Felix asked.

Those words made an idea, and an opportunity, pop up in your head. You tugged on Hyunjin's sleeve, since he was closest to you, and wrote on your notepad.

"What's up, Stay? You got an idea?" He asked, crouching down.

When you turned your notepad around, his expression went flat. "No." He said, standing up.

"What?" Changbin asked as he looked at your notepad. "Oh nonononono. Not at all."

"Let me see." Chan said, looking at the words written on your notepad:

_ Let me go outside to get the mail today. _

This time, instead of Chan saying no, the thought for a bit.

"Hyung, you're not  _ seriously _ considering this, right?" Hyunjin asked him.

You scribbled on your notepad, and all but shoved it in Hyunjin's face, which was hard since you were much shorter than him at the moment.

_ Think about it. None of you can, nobody knows what I look like as a human, and I know where the office is since you've told me about it before. _

"How'd you fit all of that on a tiny notepad?" Han asked, crouching down to get a better look.

"Not the time, damn it." Hyunjin said, smacking him on the head once more.

"How are you the dom in this relationship!?" Han yelled, tackling him to the floor.

"Guys, guys. None of this." Seungmin said, grabbing Han to pull him off of Hyunjin.

"I think it would work." Chan piped up. The other 7 member's heads turned to face their leader, yours included as your eyes got bright.

"Hyung-" 

"I know, I know, this seems very unlike me, but what Stay wrote makes sense. And it's our only option guys. We've been very busy lately and I don't think manager-nim will be happy if we miss this.  _ And _ everyone's been waiting for this for a while. We shouldn't let them down." Chan said, mostly thinking out loud, but also to the members.

"It's a trivial task, Chan. We can do it tomorrow." Felix said.

"But who knows when we'll have free time tomorrow? And what time we'll start the filming?" Chan asked.

All eight members slowly looked towards you, before Chan crouched down in front of you. He looked you dead in the eye, a look that wiped the grin off of your face completely.

"Stay." He said. "This is something we're asking of you that will take pressure off of our shoulders. We need you to go get the fan mail and bring it back. You'll need to be safe, and don't let  _ anyone _ see you leave or enter this building. I'm trusting you. Okay?"

You stared at him, then nodded. You didn't want to let him down.

"Minho. Get her dressed quickly, and out of the house. We need to leave now." Chan sighed, standing up to leave.

The other members piled out the door, aside from Minho, who called out to their leader. "Chan."

Chan turned his head from the doorway. "Yeah?"

"She'll be fine." Minho said with a smile. "I promise."

Chan smiled at him before closing the door.

"C'mon lovely. Let's get you dressed." Minho said smiling while picking you up.

\---------------------------------------------------------

Minho took you to his room, where he pulled out an outfit for you. He took out one of his own black turtleneck sweaters, light jeans that looked a bit too big for you, a black belt, and a pair of Felix's shiny gold FILA shoes.

_ "Why do they always take each other's clothes?"  _ You wondered as Minho put the clothing next to your spot on the bed. "Get dressed quickly and meet me in the living room so we can go over a few rules." Minho said, kissing your forehead, then leaving the room and closing the door.

  
  
  


It didn't take you long to get dressed, and once you were finished, you ran out of the room in your human form to Minho who was standing by the door.

You ignored the blush on his face as he spoke to you. "Okay, I have to make this quick or else manager-nim will kill me." Minho said, his eyes wandering your form. "One, you go straight to the office and straight back. Two, like Chan said, don't let anyone see you enter here. Three, if someone asks why you're getting our mail, say you're a friend of our manager. Four, try not to have anyone ask you questions of who you are, where you live, stuff like that." Minho took a breath, before looking through his pockets.

"Here." He said, handing you his phone which you took with a confused look. "I'll tell the others I gave you my phone. If anything happens, call one of us, or the police if it's really serious. And be careful, okay?"

He kissed you on the forehead again, giving you a second to talk. 

"I'll be fine, Minho. I promise. This is a chance for me to prove I can take care of myself." You said smiling.

Minho smiled before cautiously opening the door to make sure the coast was clear. "Okay, you're going to go down the stairs and through the back door, okay?" 

"Yes sir!" You said, giving him a corny salute. He laughed a bit, before leading you out. "It's 4:50. We should be back around 8:30, 9 o'clock, okay? Be back before then." Minho said. And for the final time that evening, you waved him goodbye and headed the opposite way.

\---------------------------------------------------------

So, here you are now, halfway to the postal office. It's not crazy far, but it's a bit of a walk to get there. It's comfortable, and you get so lost in the scenery, you don't notice you've reached your destination. 

You walk in to see a lady sitting behind one of the counters.

"Um, excuse me, ma'am?" You ask politely. She looks up from her computer to look at you. "Yes, how may I help you?" She asks kindly.

"I'm here to pick up mail for JYP." You say, trying not to sound weird or anything. She looks at you oddly, and says, "I'm sorry to have to ask this, but I need to see proof you were sent here by them."

You freeze for a second, before remembering Minho put his JYP business card in the case of his phone. You pull it out and pop the case off to pull out the card.

"They thought someone would ask that." You say, laughing slightly as you hand it to her. She stares at it for a few seconds, and you feel like you were busted, before she hands it back to you. "I'll be right back." She says as she goes into the back room. You stand there for a bit, looking around at people, until one particular person catches your eye. 

He (or at least you assume they're a he) is wearing a light pink sweater, with a white mask and the hood pulled over their head. They're wearing jeans similar to yours, only they look like a perfect fit, with white tennis shoes. Something about them makes you feel nostalgic, but that doesn't last for long as the lady from the counter returns. 

"Here you go, Ms…." "Y/N. And you can drop the 'Ms.' It's fine with me." You say as you smile. "Well, then, here you go Y/N. Have a lovely day." The lady says as she hands you the bag full of mail. You sling it over your shoulder, seeing as it isn't too heavy, and say 'Thank you, ma'am' as you walk out of the door.

You're walking back the way you came, taking in the sights again, when you see that same guy from the postal office across the street. Only this time, he's standing by an alleyway, typing on his phone. You can catch a better glimpse of his face, and what, no,  _ who, _ you see makes you gasp.

_ "Woojinnie?" _ You think as your legs mindlessly cross the street. Before you know it, you've stopped in front of the guy. He slightly looks up at you, and coughs awkwardly. "Um, hello?" He asks confused.

"Woojinnie!" You whisper excitedly as to not draw attention to you two. "It's me!"

He looks at you confused before asking, "I'm sorry. Have we met before?"

You mentally facepalm yourself as you forgot you looked like a human. You pull him into the alleyway and stand behind the large trash can, with him on the opposite side. "What the hell?" He asks, seemingly growing annoyed.

You dropped the bag and looked around to make sure no one was watching, then you transformed back into your Representer form. You heard him gasp, then peeked your head from beside the trash can.

"Stay!?" Woojin whisper-yelled, pulling down his mask so you could see him better. "What the absolute fuck!? You have a human form!? I thought those were fake!"

You grinned, putting a finger up to your lips in a 'shush' motion as you went back behind the trash can to transform.

You grabbed the bag again, and walked over towards him. "I have to go at 8:30." You said, grinning. "Wanna get a bite to eat before then?" He didn't do anything. He just stood there in awe. "Woojinnie?" You asked.

In a flash, you were engulfed in his arms in a bear hug, only the tips of your toes touching the ground. "I missed you, bear cub." He said, as you wrapped your arms around him and he spun you around.

"I missed you too, but Woojinnie, you're squishing me." You said, laughing a bit. "And I have a name now. It's Y/N."

He dropped you back to the ground while saying sorry, and grabbed your hand to lead you out of the alleyway. "That's a pretty name." He said smiling.

As you expected, he asked you a bunch of questions during your walk. "Do the others know about your human form?" "Do they know you're out here?" "Does Chan know you're out here?" "Are they following you or something?" To which you answered honestly. He nodded along, while stealing glances at you every now and then, that he thought you didn't notice. But you did.

In the end, you both went to get Korean Barbeque and wow, did it taste heavenly (paid for graciously by Woojin). After that, you got ice cream from a vendor. Your favorite flavor for you, and strawberry for Woojin, to match his hoodie. "It's 8:00." Woojin said, looking at his phone. "I have time." You smiled while throwing away the wrapper to your cone. By now, the streets were a bit empty, only crossing paths with other people a few times. You took a shortcut through a park lit by street lamps, which reminded you of yours and Chan's first 'date'.

**Suddenly, though, you felt as if someone was watching you.** You turned around to be met with nothing, just the empty path you walked on seconds ago. "What's wrong?" Woojin asked. "N-nothing. Just… thought someone was there." You said nervously, gripping his hand tighter as you subtly quickened your pace. A minute goes by of you two still on the path, and out of nowhere, you were on the hard pavement, the wind knocked out of your lungs. Your first instinct was to scream, but then you thought about Woojin.

Your brain was arguing with itself as your eyes tried to focus with the new height level. You made out 2- no 3 figures, two of them struggling, and the other holding what appeared to be a knife. Your brain figured out what it wanted to do, as you reached to touch your head. You felt no blood, then stood up on shaky legs. Your vision has focused, and you could make out two of the figures as people clad in dark clothing, and the third as Woojin, who had a bloody nose.

You reached out towards him before the guy with the knife spotted you, and lunged towards you. "Y/N!" Woojin yelled, trying to get away from his attacker who swung another punch at his nose, a crack noise echoing through the night as Woojin stumbled back. 

You went into defense mode, swinging your bag of mail towards the other guy, who dodged, but missed his chance to hit you with the knife. In an instant you were past him, running to Woojin who was on the ground in pain. The second guy stomped harshly on his stomach, making him cough up bile.

Then he spotted you, and lunged at you. In those mere seconds, everything went into slow-mo as you checked your surroundings.

_ "I can't reach Woojinnie, he's too far away. The guy behind me has a knife and is no doubt close to slicing my neck. The guy in front of me seems really strong. I only have a bag, filled with paper at that, so it can't do much. Fucking damn it!" _

By then, you had a quick plan, and everything sped up again. You dodged the first guy while spinning around, swinging the bag to knock them both to the ground. They stumbled over each other's feet, giving you enough time to run over to Woojin, the bag slung over your shoulder again, and help him up.

The smell of copper is strong, and you wonder where else he was hurt and he leans on you to stand.

"Y/N." He says, his voice hoarse. "Run."

"What? And leave you here? Hell no!" You say, trying to back away with him.

"There is no damn time for arguing. Now run!" He says, pushing you away as the guy with the knife goes towards him, slicing the sleeve of his hoodie and arm he used to block his face. Blood trickles down and stains the pink material as you now notice the blood coming from the back of his head.

"WHAT DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND ABOUT THE WORD RUN!?" He yells, throwing a punch at the side of knife-guy's head.

You turn to bolt and get about 2 meters (6.6 feet) away before turning back. "I love you, Woojinnie!" You yell before turning back to speed off.

You hear him shout "I love you too, bear cub!" before a grunt is heard and his bloodied body falls to the ground. You think you hear footsteps behind you, but all you can do is run.  **_"I'm so sorry, Woojinnie." You think as large tears stream down your face._ **

You pull out your phone to check the time. 9:15. Damn it. You lost track of time before those guys showed up, and that fight took up extra time. You hoped the others weren't too worried. You had multiple missed calls and texts from each of them, apart from Minho since he gave you his phone, and soon your mind was clouded with the thought of getting home to their warmth.

You didn't notice you had blood on your sleeve, a headache, bloodshot eyes, and a slight limp as you ran up the stairs to their dorm entrance. You leaned against the wall next to the door with a thud as more tears flowed down your face as you tried to catch your breath.

The door opened to reveal a nervous Chan, who's look changed to worry as he took in your sight.

"Y/N!" He said. "What happened!?"

You couldn't say anything, just cry harder and reach out to him, seeking his kindness and leadership.

He took the bag off of your shoulders and wrapped you in a huge hug as he walked you both into the dorm and shut the door behind you.

You clung to him like a koala as you heard gasps from the other members.

"Y/N! Oh god, oh god, oh, god." You heard Minho say, probably blaming himself for your current state since he was the last person to be with you.

"Minho, run her a bath. Hyunjin, get her some pajamas. Felix, get bandages. Jeongin, Han, get medical supplies to clean any wounds. Changbin, Seungmin, help me lay her on the couch." Chan said, his aura changing to a more dominant one as the other members went to their jobs straight away. As you were laid on the couch, you curled up into a tighter ball thinking about Woojin.

Oh Woojin. You hoped he was okay. As you laid there with Seungmin rubbing your leg in an attempt to calm you and Changbin getting your bloody shirt off (with your permission, obvi), Chan spoke up softly.

"Y/N. You need to tell us what happened. I wanna help  _ so _ badly, and I hate seeing you cry, but you have to tell us what's wrong."

He laid his head on your leg, rubbing circles into your thigh. "I'm so sorry. I should've just done it myself. I shouldn't have let you go outside." He said, voice cracking slightly as you felt warm, wet tears fall onto you.

"The bath's ready." Minho said from the entrance of the living room.

"I found the bandages." Felix said, passing Minho to come to you.

"And we've got the medic supplies." Jeongin said with Han trailing behind, carrying rubbing alcohol, gauze pads, and other tools for cleaning wounds, plus medicine.

They knelt behind you and Han carefully turned you to be laying on your back.

As they worked on giving you something for your headache and cleaning your scratches, you told them everything. About seeing Woojin, spending time with him, and about the guys who attacked you. You blabbered on about how you needed to get to him, to make sure he was  _ okay _ , before Felix and Jeongin pushed you back to be laying down.

"Woojin's strong, my love. He'll be fine. What matters is that he risked his safety to make sure you were safe. And we're all very thankful for that." Hyunjin said as he helped wipe at a particularly large scratch on your arm.

You relaxed slightly as they finished wrapping up your bandages. Minho helped you to stand as he led you to the bathroom.

You were still sniffling once you were inside, and Minho kissed your forehead as he rolled up his sleeves. "Do you want me to help you, or are you good on your own?'' He asked calmly.

Your cheeks heated up as you mumbled "You do it." 

He turned around to face the door, and said "Let me know when you're in the tub." You undressed the rest of your clothing, being careful around your bandages as you made your way into the tub and sank into it. The bandages were tight enough so they didn't let water in, but kept the blood flow normal.

Minho, being a gentleman to you, didn't turn around until you said "Okay." He turned around and knelt beside the tub, grabbing a washcloth. He dipped it into the tub that was filled with bubbles that went up to your chin, and carefully washed you from head to toe, being mindful about your "parts".

Once he was done, he brought in the pajamas Hyunjin got for you (one of his oversized shirts, sweatpants, and undergarments ( _ where do they get all of this girl stuff from?) _ ) and a towel. He set it on the counter and told you to meet Chan in his room once you were done. You slowly got dressed, still upset but more tired as the adrenaline was wearing off.

When you finished, you made your way to Chan's room, where he was laying in his bed, twiddling his thumbs in anticipation. When he saw you, he softly smiled and patted the space beside him. You didn't think twice before you climbed in and snuggled up next to him.

"I'm so sorry, baby girl. I shouldn't have let you outside." He said as he hugged you tight, placing a few kisses on top of your head.

You mumbled an incoherent "it's okay" before sleep over took you.

Before Chan joined you, he stared at the ceiling.

"Woojin. You're strong. You're a fighter. Please, be okay. And thank you. For keeping my baby girl safe." He whispered before holding you tighter and drifting off to sleep.

  
  
  
  


At least you know you'd never be allowed outside by yourself again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trainee Hyunjin and Trainee Jisung V I B E S
> 
> You know which trash cans I'm talking about, right? Those big, green ones with the black lid? Yeah, those.
> 
> I made y'all wait a bit, didn't I? I finished this at kind of 10:00 p.m lol
> 
> School was weird today. And reading for mistakes takes a while.
> 
> I'm tired. Let me curl up with my girlfriend. See y'all ✌


	13. Rest, My Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few things before we start.  
> 1) My girlfriend wanted to f**k last night, which is why I didn't upload.  
> 2) I also have school today, so that also delays a slight bit.  
> 3) I don't know how y'all see Woojin. Some people hate him, while others still like him. But I will not portray anyone in Stray Kids as bad, ex-member or not (unless I decide to make a graphic mafia book or smth)  
> 4) Gyeran-mari is a Korean breakfast. It's just a rolled omelette that consists usually of veggies, meat, and cheese (or so my Korean friends tell me).
> 
> Here you go, a nice chapter of FLUFF because after a night like that, you need it.
> 
> Okay have fun reading, ya lovely dorks 😛

When you woke up the next day, you were still engulfed in Chan's warmth. You were confused, but smiled to yourself nonetheless and snuggled closer to him.

Then, you remembered.

Your heart ached as your brain recalled last night's memories on repeat, and large tears fell down your cheeks as you choked back a sob, trying not to wake Chan up. 

Oh, but you must have forgotten that he's Bang freaking Chan. The leader of Stray Kids. He knows when something's up and one of his kids is upset.

He woke up groggily, looking around before noticing you crying into his chest.

"Hey, hey, don't cry, what's happened baby girl?" Chan asks softly, rolling you both over so you're laying on top of him.

"W-Woojinnie…" You croak out before more tears spill from your eyes.

Chan can't think of anything to say to that as he rubs circles into your back. He doesn't want to lie and say Woojin's fine, since he doesn't know for sure, but he doesn't want to upset you by saying anything opposite of that.

You hear the door to the room open, and you have no strength to see who entered. You hear a voice that _sounds_ like Jeongin whispering, 'Hyung, come here for a moment,' but you can't be too sure. Either way, Chan looks back down to you and says, "I'm going to leave for a bit. 5 minutes, maximum, okay? I'll be right in the living room if you need me. Stay here and rest, my love." 

He kisses your forehead as your tears begin to stop their flow but your sniffles are still heard and moves you to be laying on your side, facing the door as he walks towards it.

"Five minutes, max." He says smiling before exiting the room and closing the door behind him.

As your body begins to tire and fall asleep, Chan's is on alert. The voice (which did actually belong to Jeongin) leads him to where the other 6 members are sitting in the living room, their eyes fixed on the screen.

"Look." Felix says, pointing at the screen. And in an instant, Chan's eyes widen.

On the TV was the news channel, the headline being "Kim Woojin's body found lying in the middle of Namsan Park late at night."

Chan felt tears start to brew in his eyes until his brain finally registered what the reporter was saying.

"-e was found by a trash collector around 10:27 p.m in an unconscious state, covered in blood and bruises. He was immediately rushed to the hospital where he is in stable condition. He had multiple fractures to his ribs, a broken nose, a gash in the back of his head, and cuts everywhere, a large one on his front left arm. Police believe this was an attack, but we have no other witnesses to confirm that. More details will be given out shortly, and now, to the weather."

Chan let out a breath of relief in hearing that Woojin was in stable condition, and got a bit excited to tell you so you would stop worrying so much. But first, you needed to rest.

"At least he's okay." Han murmured, biting his fingers nervously.

"Stop doing that, weirdo." Hyunjin said, pulling Han's hand out of his mouth.

"Get off of me, you rat!" Han said, pushing Hyunjin away from him.

"Shut up, both of you." Chan said with gritted teeth as he pointed towards the room you were currently sleeping in. They both looked at each other with wide eyes before whispering a 'sorry' and having to be reduced to giving each other glares.

"God, how have we survived this long?" Minho asked himself out loud, shaking his head.

"It's thanks to Stay." Chan said, laughing softly as he walked out of the living room and back to his room. When he opened the door, he saw you laying in bed, sleeping soundly.

"Hey, pretty girl. You hungry?" He asked softly as he walked next to the bed. You woke up slowly, and the mention of food made your stomach growl.

"Mm-hm." You said, drowsiness still over your body.

"What would you like?" He asked, kissing your nose softly.

"Gyeran-mari.." You mumble, slightly more awake now.

"Gyeran-mari it is." Chan says cheerfully. "Would you like Minho-ah to run you a warm bath again?"

"Yes please." You say sinking further into the covers.

"I'll call him in, then. And there's going to be a surprise waiting for you once you've come out, okay?" Chan says, standing up.

You nod at him, fully awake yet still tired as he leaves the room again. And seconds later, comes in Minho with a bright smile on his face. "Give me three minutes to get the bath ready, Y/N." He says walking into the bathroom that is connected to this room in the dorm.

After exactly three minutes, you notice this by staring at the clock on Chan's bedside table, Minho walks out of the bathroom. "It's ready, pretty girl." He says, coming over to you. You got out of bed slowly, leaning onto him for support since your muscles were still sore, and walked into the bathroom. "Would you like me to bathe you like yesterday?" Minho asks, pulling out a towel from a cabinet above the toilet.

"No thank you." You say. "I think I've got it." "Okay. But if you need help, I'll be right outside the door." He says after placing the towel on the countertop. He walks out of the bathroom and sits down on the bed, waiting for you.

You undress from your pajamas and sink into the warm bath that soothes your muscles nicely. You grab the wash cloth like Minho did yesterday, dip it into the soapy water, and start to clean yourself.

Once you've finished, you dry yourself with the towel and change back into your pajamas, and head out of the bathroom. _"Such a gentleman"_ you think to yourself as you see Minho waiting for you, like he said he'd be, sitting on Chan's bed.

He stops looking around and notices that you've finished. "Ah, nice! Come on then, breakfast smells lovely." He says standing up and grabbing your hand to lead you out of the room. When you enter the kitchen, the smells of food make your mouth water. Chan, Han, and Seungmin are in the kitchen (struggling a slight bit), Felix and Jeongin are playing Mario Kart on the TV, and Hyunjin and Changbin are on their phones sitting on the couch. 

Chan turns around to notice you both standing in the hallway, and motions you to sit at the island.

"Breakfast will be ready soon." Chan says smiling. You sit on one of the bar stools of the island, feeling oddly nervous. You don't know why. Maybe it's because they've never seen you cry tears of sadness until then. Maybe it's just morning drowsiness. You don't notice that breakfast is done, nor that there's a plate of delicious smelling food in front of you, _nor_ that everyone has gathered at the table to eat until you feel a warm body wrap its arms around you and press it's chest into your back.

"Hello." Seungmin says, placing a kiss on top of your head. "Whatcha thinking about?" "Oh, nothing." You say, leaning back into him.

"Well then, eat your food before it gets cold." Seungmin says. You can hear the smile on his face as he walks back to his seat. You pick up your chopsticks and grab a roll. You bite into it and I swear to god, if you weren't so tired, you'd shove that whole thing in your mouth for how good it was. But you didn't. Instead, you gave Chan a look of approval, to which he smiled at. 

Conversation went on normally. Han and Hyunjin were in some weird roast battle, and the others were just talking about award shows, games, and their schedule for the month. Then, Chan almost choked on his orange juice.

"Y/N!" He said, gleefully. "Guess what?"

"What?" You asked, biting into another piece of the roll. "We saw Woojin on the news." He said, still smiling. You dropped your chopsticks as you felt a bad feeling in your stomach. Chan's expression turned into a scared one as he rushed out, "Waitwaitwait! There's more and it's good. The reporter said that he was found yesterday, and he's in the hospital. He's in a stable condition. He's going to be okay."

You swallowed your food as relief flowed through you. You were so glad he wasn't left out there in the cold. You wanted to call and check on him, but you knew he was resting now. Besides, you didn't know his phone number anyways. 

"Hey, you okay?" Felix asks, putting his hand on your shoulder. "Yeah, just…. relieved." You say, smiling at him.

He smiles back, then the conversation goes back to it's weirdly normal routine, you joining in after a huge weight was lifted off of your shoulders.

After breakfast, you offered to help Jeongin wash the dishes, which he was grateful for because "all of his hyungs are lazy assholes" and he wanted to let Changbin have a break from cleaning up. You helped him while blasting music from Alexa, lip syncing horribly to English songs.

After the clean up, you spent the rest of the day either beating Felix, Jeongin, and Han at video games, being read to by Minho, trying out stupid SnapChat filters with Changbin and Hyunjin, watching TV with Seungmin (after fighting with the other three to stop playing video games), or cuddling with Chan.

By dinner time, you were much more relaxed. You felt good knowing that Woojin was okay, and that your family was here to take care of you. 

"Hwang Hyunjin I'm going to **fucking** kill you, you nuisance!"

"Try me, you damn squirrel!"

Now all that was left was to either get those two to fuck out their feelings with each other or be sensible and resolve their differences.

  
  
  
  


That shouldn't be too hard, right?

  
  


"Ow! Stop pulling my hair you psychopath! It's not even as long as yours, what are you doing!?"

  
  
  
  
  


*sigh*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everybody shut up, Google was my best friend today because for WHATEVER REASON I'm not creative enough to come up with a name for a park, and since Namsan Park fit what I was thinking of in my head pretty well, I chose that one.
> 
> Okay but like, I'm having much too much fun with these mini Hyunjin/Han fights. It makes me crack up 😂


	14. Fireworks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> F I R E W O R K S

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm ACTUALLY in the middle of class doing a writing assignment while also writing today's chapter, um.......... ok then haha
> 
> And I did some research, and apparently if they don't renew their contract, Stray Kids will most likely disband in 2025. YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS!
> 
> WE'RE GETTING CLOSE TO THE END OF THE BOOK~~
> 
> Literally, I have the end planned out in my head, and it's so cute you miiiiiiight cry. Maybe. I dunno.
> 
> Have y'all heard AJR's new song, 'Way Less Sad'? It's really good.
> 
> Okay, bye, my teacher just asked me a question that I have NO IDEA what the answer to it is.

December 31st, 2022

After that whole incident, you had learned three things. One, apparently Chan still has Woojin's number, because you got to call him and check on him. It was a lovely talk. Two, when you change into your Representer form after being injured as a human, nothing hurts anymore. No scars, sore muscles, nothing. Three, you were taught  _ all  _ about the Korean New Year, and how it’s celebrated. From eating traditional food, to wearing hanboks, you learned so much during the days leading up to December 30th, that your tiny head almost exploded.

Luckily for you, Stray Kids has pre-recorded their New Year’s video, so you had them all to yourself when New Years actually came. You could do the countdown, watch the fireworks, and enjoy Stray Kids’ almost 5th year as a group together.

But, firstly? The food.

My god, the  _ food. _

The hyung line had looked up many, many traditional food recipes for the New Year’s. And Minho (being himself) wanted to put modern twists on them. So, for about the whole week before the 30th, there were a lot of good foods, bad foods, and ugly foods. Han was the main test taster, because he had a “refined palette that you normals could never understand.” Or whatever that meant.

The maknae line, however, spent their time buying hanboks (and a mini one for you in your favorite color), decorations, your own fireworks (legally purchased), and the “real” food. Which was a complete opposite to the healthy food that Minho was making. It was junk, every Korean snack you could think of, it was there. They wanted to get all of the “good treats” before they were sold out, and had to pin down Felix and Han multiple times to stop them from eating everything before the day of New Years.

It was a fun process. You got to see all of the pretty decorations being put up, got to smell all of the heavenly food (and taste it sometimes when Han wasn’t pouting about wanting to be the only taste tester), and you were the most excited about seeing the fireworks. For whatever reason, you never remembered fireworks from the past three New Year’s. (Chan says you kept falling asleep before 12, but you didn’t believe him.) 

Now, finally, today was December 31st. The day before, you had tried on your hanbok (which you absolutely loved) and got to try some of Minho’s food (which was actually pretty damn good.)

From the spice of the food, the bright lights, and the loud TV, you more than made it to 11 p.m

“Hyung, hyung! It’s starting!” Seungmin yelled from the porch. Chan was in the kitchen, putting away the dishes while you grabbed the load of snacks the maknaes bought days before. Chan grabbed you and tucked you into a secure pocket in his hanbok, and grabbed the bag of snacks you packed. Changbin ran out of the room with multiple blankets, struggling to put his shoes on. “Guys, come on!” Chan yelled as one by one, the Stray Kids members came out of their places and went out of the doors. They walked out of the dorm, went down the elevator, and went through the front doors to a nearby grass field by the river. There were other people there with blankets, wearing hanboks, some with fireworks. Changbin laid down the blankets in an open spot, Chan set down the bag, and placed you inside it.

They all sat around the bag of snacks as Jeongin came running down the hill with another basket, this time filled with drinks. “Hey, baby bread, you made it!” Hyunjin said as he patted Jeongin’s leg while he was setting down the basket. “No thanks to your lazy ass. You were supposed to help me!” Jeongin whined. Hyunjin kissed his cheek, smiling cockily. “Oops. I must have forgotten.” “Dickhead.” Jeongin said, pushing him as Hyunjin laughed but leaned against his nonetheless, head on his shoulder

“Shut up you dorks, it’s starting!” Felix said as the first crackles of fireworks started. You peeked your head out from inside the bag and gasped. There was a building on the other side of the river that displayed a 10 minute clock, timing the countdown. Behind that, though, were multiple, bright explosions of colors in the dark sky. You didn’t know what they were at first, but then you remembered they were fireworks. They were beautiful. Some were a solid color, some were multi-colored. Some were small, average, and some, oh wow, some of them were huge, Extravagant, you’d say. The boys above you were taking snacks and drinks and talking quietly as you enjoyed the fireworks.

Suddenly, Changbin shouted out, ‘THE CLOCK!” And that’s when you noticed it read 00:15.

Jeongin grabbed you and placed you on his head as the countdown started. You stood up, loving the breeze in your face.

“10!” Everyone on the bank shouted, Stray Kids’ along with them.

“9!”

“8!”

“7!”

“6!”

“5!”

“4!”

Your eyes widened, full of the colors from the screen.

“3!”

Your smile grew.

“2!”

You threw your hands up into the air as you mouthed: 

“1!”

“HAPPY NEW YEAR!” Everyone cheered as even larger, more colorful, and brighter fireworks went up into the sky. Some other people started making theirs go off, including Felix and Hyunjin, from behind you all (safely, don’t worry.)

Jeongin took you down from his head and kissed your cheek. “Happy new year, Stay. Congratulations for staying awake this long.” He laughed as you peppered his nose with kisses.

All of the Stray Kids members got up and cheered as Jeongin stood up and threw you into the air. The cool night breeze made you joyful as Jeongin caught you again, and treated you to a strawberry pocky stick.

  
  
  
  


Why haven’t you stayed up this long before?

  
  


It was a beautiful experience.

  
  
  
  


That you knew you would only get to have once more. But Stray Kids didn’t know that. And they wouldn’t realize it.

  
  


No. Enough of those sad thoughts. You shook your head as you enjoyed another pocky stick.

  
  
  
  


Let's enjoy tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, Jeongin and Hyunjin are not dating, I just thought it was cute since by then, their friendship would've been so strong that they'd be comfortable kissing each other on the cheeks.
> 
> Yet again, Google was by best friend today for providing me information about Korean New Years and how it's celebrated. (Get off my ass, okay? I'm half Japanese, I only know about shōgatsu)
> 
> But, if my uncultured swine self got something wrong (no, I did not use Wikipedia) then let me know, because the LAST thing I want is to demonstrate a tradition incorrectly.
> 
> I'm thinking of ideas for my next book, and I know for a fact that it's going to be like, 18+ or something (to contrast from this one lol). I just don't know if I want it to be mafia, or like school-centred. Eh, who cares? Also, I'm not too sure on which fandom to do. Maybe some Stray Kids mixed with BTS? Or should I add a girl group, like Mamamoo? (Hwasa and her badass self would be throwing punches left and right, we love you Hwasaaaaa)
> 
> And I might try to find a way of pre-writing chapters instead of writing a new one every day. Idk, I'll figure it out later. And I wrote this chapter really fast, so I'll go back in to edit any mistakes.
> 
> Okay I'm done, sorry this was so long :P


	15. Baking Cookies And Writing Cards

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, 3 things.  
> 1) I was scrolling through YouTube yesterday, and I found a video called 'More Stray Kids Animation Drawings' so I watched it. And one of the TikToks was where Stay made Stray Kids cookies and wrote them little note cards for Valentines Day, and they ended up being really tired by the end (which was so cute). So yes, here I am making a chapter seriously based off of that (also the clip said 'Merry Christmas but I decided to make it Valentine's Day).  
> 2) You may have noticed that instead of the chapters saying 15/? they say 15/21. YES. I have the last few chapters planned out. If you didn't, no worries. Just wanted to say that.  
> 3) I haven't made a Christmas chapter, and I never really planned on doing one .-. Sorry
> 
> K bye have fun

February 14th, 2023

Valentine's Day.

You loved Valentine's Day. Maybe it was because of all of the love floating around in the air. Maybe it was the chocolates, or that it came a few days after Jeongin's birthday.

Either way, you loved this day. And today, you decided to do something special for the boys.

They had a break this week since they've been working so hard, and you wanted to show appreciation for them. So, while they were all in their dorm rooms, doing whatever it is they do while they're alone, you got to work.

You tied on your mini apron (that Chan somehow made for you), grabbed the cookbook off of the top shelf, almost fell down in the process, and flipped open the baking section.

You saw a recipe for heart-shaped cookies, and you knew they would be perfect for today. You got out the butter, eggs, flour, sugar, salt, and vanilla, and made the cookie dough. It made you tired, since your small form wasn't used to excessive movement and having to jump up to reach things a lot, but you kept at it.

You searched the pantry for a cookie sheet (which you found, thankfully) and brought it over to the counter. You laid it out, sprinkled a bit of flour on it, and plopped the cookie dough down. You rolled it out with a rolling pin after a few minutes of trying to find the right angle, and went searching for the cookie cutters.

They were on top of the fridge, which meant you had to jump up pretty high to get them. But, you got them nonetheless, and cut out eight nice sized cookies. You loaded them onto a tray and placed them in the mini oven on the counter top. While you sat there waiting for them to be ready, you thought this wasn't enough.

_ "It's Valentine's Day. A day of love and gratitude." _ You thought as you watched the cookies slowly bake.  _ "They need…. something else." _ Frosting? No. You had that more than covered since there was left over white frosting from Jeongin's birthday party. And you knew where the sprinkles were. Your eyes scanned the room until they landed on the fridge door.

There was a card. You remembered that card. Seungmin made it for you on your first birthday. Oh! That's what they needed! Cards. So, you hopped off the counter to grab a larger notepad. You found one sitting on the coffee table, grabbed it, and brought it back into the kitchen. You set it on the island as you whipped out your pencil and began writing.

You just finished writing the last one as the oven dinged. You panicked, and rushed over to shut it off before any of the boys came out. You then searched the living room cupboards for envelopes, which you perfectly found in shades of pink and red.

You brought them back to the island, slipped the letters inside, and closed them with a heart sticker. You wrote each member's name on the card that belonged to them, and set them aside as you went over to the cooling cookies.

You got the frosting out of the fridge, the sprinkles out of the pantry, and decorated those cookies oh-so-nicely. They had each member's name written on them in a very pretty manner, with sprinkles to cover the lettering and the actual cookie. You grabbed a plate out of the cabinet that you thought was very pretty, and jumped into the living room to set it on the coffee table.

You then went back into the kitchen to grab the cookies, and came back with them. You arranged them in a circle so that everyone could see their name and get their respective cookie. Finally, the cards. You grabbed those lovely cards, brought them into the living room, and set them down. You put them slightly under the plate, each member's card underneath their cookie, sticking out so they could see the names written on the back.

You loved the plating, but it was missing one more thing. You got an idea, and brought out your lightstick. You shaked it a few times over each card as glitter fell from it.

_ "There."  _ You thought, admiring your handy work.  _ "Now to clean up." _

But the second you got to the flour bag, you slumped down against it, lightstick still in hand, and fell asleep. Your little body wasn't used to doing all of that work, but it was worth it to make them smile.

  
  
  


Almost exactly on cue, Changbin walked out of his dorm, stretching after his nap. His nose smelled something nice, so he decided to investigate. Then, he noticed the plate of cookies and cards on the counter. They looked and smelled heavenly.

"Hey, guys. Come check this out!" Changbin yelled to the others. Soon, they all came out of their rooms, confused.

"Look." Changbin pointed to the plate. All of the members stared down at it in awe. 

"Did you do this?" Seungmin asked. 

"Nah, dude. I just found it here." Changbin replied, taking the cookie and the cars with his name on it.

"Wow." Chan said, taking his stuff after everyone else.

They spent the short time eating the cookies and reading the sweet cards. They were all chattering quietly when Chan saw you sleeping against the flour bag. He shushed the other members as he pointed to you, which made them quiet down.

He walked over to you and carefully picked you up. You woke up slightly, not knowing what was happening until you ended up in the warm confines of the hood on Chan's hoodie. You snuggled up, mumbled a soft "Happy Valentine's Day" that you knew they couldn't hear since you couldn't talk in that form, and fell right back asleep.

"Changbin's cleaning up!" Han whispered after swallowing the last bits of his cookie and running back to his room with his card. The other members silently agreed to the idea and ran as well.

Changbin stood there, shocked by how quickly this situation turned against him, until Chan placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I'll do it." He said softly.

Changbin nodded to him in a thanks before walking off, most likely to find Han and throw him out of the window.

Chan laughed softly at his bandmates before setting the card down, rolling up his sleeves, and walking over to the kitchen.

You were still snug in his hoodie, soft breath tickling the back of his neck as he put the ingredients away.

  
  
  
  


He loved moments where you were like this. Just a baby for him and the others to take care of.

  
  
  
  


He was going to miss you.

  
  


Dearly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was so cute. Honestly.
> 
> I'm.still in my pajamas with one of our cats in my lap. His name is Empire (because of the Empire State Building that my girlfriend seems to adore). He's a sweet boy.
> 
> Anyways, I'll see you all tomorrow with another chapter :>


	16. Sore Ass, Presents, And A Mistake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is weirdly long lol
> 
> I started it yesterday because I wanted to get a head start, and the texting was fun to make
> 
> But I suck at writing texting chapters so :P 
> 
> I would love, love, love to figure out an actual name for Stray Kids' manager, I just can't think of one .-.

March 10th, 2023

9:43 a.m

Me

👑

Soonie

What was that for?

Me

Oh you know why 😏

Sexyback Chan

For God's sake, Hyunjin, your birthday is in 10 days

Don't act like this until at least 3 days prior

Deep Voice

Oh why not? Let him have fun

Me

YEAH FUCK OFF HYUNG

Sexyback Chan

Excuse me?

Coco Bomb Minnie

Oooooooh Hyunjin 😂

Innie👏

Haha I wanna see hyung beat up Hyunjin

Me

ShUt ThE hElL uP hE's StArInG aT mE fRoM tHe EnD oF tHe HaLlWaY

Deep Voice

Lol I know I see him

Changbin's Chin

Why's Chan-hyung just standing there?

Innie👏

HE'S FINNA WHOOP HYUNJIN'S ASS

Me

NOOOOOOOO

Sexyback Chan

Maybe

Coco Bomb Minnie

Nahhhhh Stay won't let u do that Hyung

Me

EXACTLY

AND MY BIRTHDAY'S COMING UP

SO U GOTTA BE NICE TO ME

HOE

Sexyback Chan

Oh now you're asking for it

_Sexyback Chan left the chat_

Me

HeLp He'S cOmInG iN hErE

_You have left the chat_

Deep Voice

Oh shit kkk

March 10th, 2023

10:33 a.m

Deep Voice

Kkkkkk hyung

Me

My ass is sore and red :<

Soonie

That's what you get for messing with Chan-hyung

Me

Shut up meanie :<<

Soonie

But I'm right, no?

Deep Voice

Kkk

Me

…

Shut up Felix :<

Imma fight u 

Deep Voice

PoSt Up BuDdY

Soonie

Oh god…

March 11th, 2023

12:42 a.m

Enemy

Hyung

Me

What, Han?

Enemy

I'm bored

Me

Fuck off, it's so early

Enemy

But hyunggg

You're up too

And I know it's not because of me.

Me

So what? You wanna fuck or something?

Enemy

If you're down 😏

Me

Go to sleep

Enemy

Okay, okay

I'll stop

But seriously

You aren't bored too?

Me

…

We're going to get some street food.

You're paying

Enemy

Bet 👏

_Enemy was changed to 12 AM Hookup_

_12 AM Hookup was changed to Jisung_

_Jisung was changed to Jisung 💫_

Jisung💫

You ready?

Me

Yes.

But be quiet. I don't want to wake up Stay.

Jisung💫

What about Chan-hyung?

Me

Eh. I can deal with him. He's probably awake too, anyways.

Jisung💫

Lol true.

Okay, come on.

Me

Coming

  
  


\---------------------------------------------------------

March 20th, 2023

Internationally, he's 23. In Korea, he's 24. But in this household, he's Hwang Hyunjin. Our drama llama. Our sexy king. And if this birthday party doesn't go EXACTLY how you plan for it to go, you're going to kill a bird or something.

You've gathered everyone in the living room, excluding Hyunjin. Felix sent him on a goose chase to get him something that doesn't exist in exchange for around 112,500 won (100 USD). Felix said that it should take him an hour or so, so that gives you plenty of time to lay out the directions.

You gave each member a job. Chan and Minho were to bake a cake. Changbin was to pick up the pre-bought presents from each member. Felix was the one to hang the decorations. Seungmin would be out buying all of Hyunjin's favorite foods. And Jeongin would be the one to distract Hyunjin if he so happened to come back home early, and get him inside the house without suspecting anything, if needed.

All was going to plan and- hm? What's that? Oh, right! Your job. You were going to be the strict football coach. You were going to tell the boys which colors to get, where to put what, and make sure they didn't mess anything up.

You were _psyched._

  
  
  
  
  
  


In all the time that's passed, you've gotten a bunch of work done. The streamers were here and set up, the cake was had been baked and the frosting was in the fridge setting, Changbin was on his way with the presents, Seungmin had bought the food (which was also in the fridge) and Jeongin saw no sign of Hyunjin coming back in a JYP car, so you all were good and steady.

Until Chan got a frantic call from Jeongin saying that Hyunjin apparently walked instead of drove and was on his way into the building, looking pissed. Probably at Felix for sending him on a wild goose chase. 

So, now there was a problem.

Clean up.

Not a clean up of _everything_.

Just hiding the cake, taking down the streamers, hoping to any God out there that Changbin wouldn't walk in with the presents and spoil it all, and keeping Hyunjin out of the kitchen.

Which you managed to do fairly well as Hyunjin walked in with his eyes covered by Jeongin's hands.

"Jeongin, what the hell?" Hyunjin said as he tried to maneuver with no eyesight. "Where's Felix, I'm gonna beat his ass."

"He left hyung, don't worry though he'll be back soon." Jeongin said, giving Felix a nervous look. "C'mon, let's watch TV in my room."

Jeongin led a still blinded Hyunjin through the hallway, and nobody released a breath until the door clicked shut.

Seconds later, Changbin comes bursting in the door with bags of presents. They all shush him and point towards the room where Hyunjin is.

"O-oh, he's….?" Changbin asks, whispering. You all nod, and he quietly sets down the bags.

"Alright, team." Chan says clapping his hands together. "Let's get to work."

Chan and Minho pulled out the cake and decorated it, Felix hung the decorations back up with the help of Changbin, Seungmin set the food on the island, and you moved the presents to the coffee table.

Right on que, when you were all finished and got into your hiding spots, Hyunjin burst out of his room with Jeongin trailing close behind. 

"I swear to God Lee fucking- what's this?" He asks, stopping abruptly in his tracks.

You all pop out of your hiding places to shout "Happy Birthday!" and throw confetti as Felix speaks up.

"Uhm, sorry for tricking you hyung, haha. We just needed you out of the house for a bit." He says, rubbing the back of his neck.

"And it was WORTH IT!" Jeongin yells, coming from behind Hyunjin to stand next to Minho.

"Wow… um… damn, you all did all of this- IS THAT SUSHI!?" He yells, staring at the food on the kitchen counter.

"Hell yeah." Seungmin says, winking at him.

You can't contain your excitement any more as you run from behind the boys, jump into the air, transform into a human, and land in Hyunjin's arms, making him stumble back a bit.

"Happy birthday!" You yell, squishing his cheeks. "You're so damn old, how is this possible!?"

"I'm not old yet, Y/N, but thank you." He says laughing as he swings you around.

He puts your back on your feet, your arms still around his neck, and gazes past your shoulder.

And his expression drops.

You look at him confused, as do the other members, until you turn your head.

And there, in the doorway of the dorm entrance….

Is the _last_ person you wanted to see you like this.

The last person that _Stray Kids_ wanted to see you like this.

  
  


It's their manager.

  
  


Who had been there the whole time.

  
  


He saw you jump up, transform, _and_ talk.

  
  


All of your faces went into shock as he stepped into the dorm.

"What in the absolute _hell_?" He said, his face showing something of anger and confusion.

"H-Hyung, I can explain." Chan started out, but was cut off.

"Explain _what,_ exactly?" Their manager said sternly. "Chan, outside. The rest of you, **sit**. I want Stay back into their Representer form."

Their manager and Chan walked out of the dorm as the others, including you, sat down. You transformed back into a Representer and sat in Hyunjin's lap, nervously waiting.

  
  
  
  


"Go ahead." Their manager said once he and Chan were outside of the dorm and in the hallway of the building their dorm was in.

Chan looked up at his manager, confused. 

"You want to explain, so explain."

"It was an accident, at first. I didn't mean to see them like that. Then I felt bad, so we told the others." Chan says with his head down.

"When?" Their manager asked.

"Around the end of 2019…" Chan says nervously.

"20-2019? You haven't told me this, no, you've kept such a secret for 3 years?" Their manager says, shaking his head in disbelief.

Chan opens his mouth to speak, but then closes it.

"I expected you to be better than this, Bang Chan. You know the rules, and you know what happens when you do something like this." Their manager says, grabbing the door knob to the dorm.

"Hyung, please-" Chan starts, grabbing his manager's arm.

"You _knew_ what would happen. And now you have to face the consequences." Their manager says, opening the door and entering the dorm.

\---------------------------------------------------------

"Boys." Their manager says, looking around at the seven other Stray Kids members.

They look towards their manager, and notice Chan standing behind him with glossy eyes.

"I am very disappointed in you all. You broke one of the most important rules when dealing with a Representer. You kept this secret from me for more than _3_ years." He says, walking over to Hyunjin.

"And you, Stay." He looks down into Hyunjin's lap when you are, trying to hide yourself in his sweater. "You should've never had your human form out in the first place, whether the others were here or not."

He extends his arm, hand open, as he stares into Hyunjin's eyes. "Give them to me."

Hyunjin stared at his manager dumbfounded. "W-what?"

"Hyunjin. Do it." Chan said. You and Hyunjin looked at your leader with confused expressions. You felt scared, but Hyunjin felt mad.

"What?"

"It's the rules. If Stay shows their human form or if we keep a secret about our Representer, they-they have to be taken away." Chan said, trying his hardest not to cry.

Hyunjin hesitated. He didn't want you taken away for something stupid that they did, on his _birthday_ of all days, but he didn't want to get into any more trouble by not doing so.

So, he slowly took you out of his lap, and placed you in the hand of his manager.

Their manager looked around the room at all of the boys who had shocked, upset, and confused faces.

"I am sorry, boys. But you had to have known what was going to happen." Their manager said, walking towards the door.

You turned around in his hand, your body paralyzed with fear as you took one last look at your family. 

  
  
  


Then, you were out of the door.

  
  


And it closed.

  
  


Closing you off from your family.

  
  
  


Who you might never see again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm studying rn while writing this chapter and even I got nervous wtf?
> 
> What do y'all think is going to happen next? Just remember: There's more chapters after this one, so the story isn't over juuuuuust yet 😉
> 
> Okay, adios!


	17. Reunite

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly I almost cried while writing this chapter. Random.
> 
> (It's that time of the month for me, ladies who know what I mean.)
> 
> Also shout out to my chill science teacher. I've missed 3 classes in a row thanks to my internet being stupid because of all the snow, and she's just been awesome about it.
> 
> And this chapter's also kind of long.
> 
> Okay byeeeeeee

September 20th, 2023.

  
  
  


Six months.

  
  


Six  _ horrible _ months of you being away from your family.

Hyunjin didn't celebrate his birthday that day in March. He was shocked. They all were. Everything had happened so fast.

Stray Kids lost their Representer.

No, actually. You weren't lost. You were  _ taken away. _ Because of something  _ stupid _ they let happen.

But, as something K-Pop idols have to do all the time, they put on a smile and played the part for the audience. They laughed at interviews, smirked at the camera after performances, and seemed happy when they were out in public.

But in the privacy of their dorm, it was the complete opposite.

They had all fallen into this sort of depression. They blamed each other and themselves for you not being there anymore.

It felt emptier. The spaces where you'd hang out or sleep looked terrible with you gone.

They got mad at each other much easier. And our poor boy Chan. He plunged himself back into that dark rabbit hole of sleepless nights filled with a bright computer screen and papers.

  
  


The one it took him a year and a half to get out of.

  
  


You, on the other hand, were absolutely  **livid** at your manager.

You had a gut feeling that with you being gone things were going bad. Not like 'messy dorm' bad. Like, 'they're at each other's throats' bad.

You pleaded with their manager on the way to his office, but damn was this boy stubborn.

You've been in his office for six months. He won't let you out to see their performances now, and whenever they need to speak with him, he steps out of the office to talk with them. He  _ really _ won't let you all see each other.

But let me tell you something. You are  **fed up** with this.

You're sitting on a shelf in his office as their manager is writing on some papers. Most likely paperwork, you assume.

You hopped down from the shelf and landed on his desk. You're a very persistent person, and you won't take no for an answer.

  
  


Especially when it comes to your family.

Being away from them drains your energy, since you're supposed to be with them for your whole life.

But fuck it, you will drain all of it trying to get back to them.

You stand next to his coffee cup as he looks up from his work.

"Ah, Stay. Hello. Do you need something?"

  
  


You stand there for a second, before you turn and hop onto the chair across from his desk. You sit on it, facing him as he gives you a confused look.

  
  


You transform into a human, wincing a bit since your energy isn't as high as it needs to be for transformations.

You cross your leg on top of the other as you give him a deadly stare.

He opens his mouth to speak, but you cut him off before a syllable gets out.

"Look man," You start. "Let me tell you something. You're being an absolute asshole right now."

He gives you a shocked look, and you continue before he tries to talk again.

"You're keeping me here because of an  _ accident _ . Because Channie didn't want to keep a secret. I know you're just doing your job, but nothing has happened. Nobody knows about me, I'm not  _ dead _ , and it's way easier to reach the ramen on the top shelf without having to ask for help."

You take a breath, then continue. "I'm fucking  **done** staying here. I've been away from them for much too long. It's not normal for me to be away from them for this long. You can be upset at us, you can be dissapointed, you could  _ ground  _ me, I could actually care less. Just let me go home."

By this point there are a few tears streaming down your face, and their manager is looking at you with eyes you cannot read.

"You know," he says, standing up. "I never thought you'd ever get upset at me like that. I apologize for keeping you from the boys for so long." 

He makes his way over to the door and grabs the door knob. "I just wanted you all to learn your lesson. You could've just told me what had happened. I would have most likely understood."

He looks at you as he opens the door. "I can tell you need them as much as they need you. So, come on."

Your eyes light up as you jump from your seat, almost tripping in the process, and run out of the door towards the parking lot, manager-nim following behind you.

\---------------------------------------------------------

You arrive at the dorm where the boys should be after their most recent interview. You hop out of the car and are about to open the lobby door when their manager taps you on the shoulder.

You spin around to him with an annoyed and confused look as he says in a low voice, "By the way, I know you were there with Woojin that night."

You gulp audibly as he taps you on the shoulder twice. "I'm glad you both feel better."

He turns and walks back to his car. You look at him, shaking your head and laughing under your breath as you enter the building.

  
  
  


Inside the dorm, all eight boys reside. They aren't speaking to each other. All of them are in the living room, doing their own thing. On their phones, reading, or just staring off into space. One of them though, Minho, is on the porch overlooking Seoul. 

Suddenly, they hear a knock on the door.

None of them move to open it, hoping someone else will. Then, another knock comes.

After the third knock, Jeongin stands up from the couch to go to the door.

He opens it, and there you stand, slightly out of breath, as a human, with a wide smile, and tired eyes.

Jeongin stands there confused as Felix peeks around the corner to see who was there, and gasps.

The noise shook Jeongin out of his trance as tears spilled from his eyes and fell down his cheeks, racing after one another.

He grabs you by the arm and pulls you to him in a tight hug. You reciprocate the hug as you kiss his cheeks in an attempt to calm him.

He sniffles and starts to hyperventilate as he squeezes you harder. You close the door with your foot, and all of the noise makes the other members come out of their spots to see you both in the doorway.

Jeongin lets you go to wipe his eyes as Han and Hyunjin run up to you next and grab you in a tight embrace. Soon, the rest of the members come into your hug pile.

You relish in their warmth.

The dorm immediately feels better. The atmosphere isn't as tense. The light in the room seems brighter.

The boys definitely feel it too. They feel happier knowing your back. They feel better knowing that you're back home, in their arms,  _ safe _ .

  
  


You feel less tired as your energy is replenished. You feel happier, more energetic, and  _ loved _ .

  
  


No one says a word. You all just stand there.

  
  


In each other's calming embrace. 

  
  


Where you'd like to stay.

  
  


Forever.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


But you can't. You know you can't because there's something you need to tell them. You want to get this out so they don't feel bad once it happens.

"Boys." You say, looking at the kids huddled around you. They step back from you, their eyes slightly red and puffy from crying as they give you a confused look. "S-sit down in the living room. Please."

They smile at you and walk into the living room to sit back in their spots. You stand by the entrance with them all looking at you.

"Yes, Y/N?" Minho asks after the others have settled down.

"It's 2023. You guys are going to disband March of 2025 right?" You take a shaky breath, then continue. "What… What do you think happens to Representers when their group disbands?"

Chan's breath hitches. He knows where you're going with this.

"Don't they get to live with one of us?" Felix asks, giving you a confused look.

"No, Felix. They don't." You say laughing slightly.

"Then where do they go?" Hyunjin asks.

"They… They disappear." You say. They all look at you with wide eyes, apart from Chan, as Changbin asks, "What?"

"Well- um- See, when a group disbands, they have no need for their Representer. They aren't under serious pressure. So, once you guys disband, I'll disappear." You say, trying your hardest not to cry.

  
  


Chan sighs, then stands up and walks towards you. He wraps his arms around and buries your face is his neck as he places a kiss on top of your head.

"Baby girl. That day won't come for a full year, six months, and eight days. You've still got plenty of time.  _ We've  _ still got plenty of time." He says.

"Yeah!" Han yells from behind him. "Besides, you haven't even had a proper Halloween experience yet!"

"You haven't?" Minho asks, looking at you.

You shake your head as Chan lets you go. 

"That makes sense. We're usually busy during the fall, or the weather's w e i r d." Changbin says.

"Hm. Well then. You'll get one." Seungmin says, clapping his hands.

"Next year. We're booked with interviews, photoshoots, and performances for the next three months." Jeongin says rolling his eyes.

"Next year." Chan promises, booping your nose.

_"Next_ _year."_ You think to yourself as Jeongin complains about their schedule and Changbin gets into an odd fighting stance and threatens to beat up manager-nim for keeping you away from them for so long. 

  
  
  
  
  


_ "Next year." _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UwU
> 
> So cute istg I'm gonna throw up rainbows and kittens 
> 
> Only 4 more chapters after this one hahaha
> 
> And I forgot to say this, but idols like I.U and Somi (if you don't know them, they're pretty dope) don't have Representers because they aren't in a group nor do they have other members to worry about.
> 
> 😘


	18. The Dreaded Bathing Suit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I imagine Stay to have a feminine body. Deal with it.
> 
> But if you see them as male, not having tits, or even being a female with a less female body, then ignore my writing and insert your own imagine of them into thy mind.
> 
> But ngl, my girlfriend bought a bathing suit a week ago (even though it isn't summer) and tried it on for me, I swear she's my muse.

_"Next year."_

Well, it is next year. It just isn't Halloween next year.

It's the summer. July 15, 2024.

A new year. 2024. You've kind of dreaded this year. Because it's getting much too close to 2025.

But we won't worry about that right now. Because the lovely members of our sub unit, 3RACHA, have offered to take you to the downstairs pool and teach you to swim.

You're nervous. For multiple reasons. You'll have to wear a bathing suit. A _showing skin_ kind of bathing suit. You'll have to get into the water and try your hardest not to drown. And it's _water_. Unpredictable, cold, water.

But you'll be fine. At least you tell yourself that as you stand in front of the bathroom mirror wearing that same, showing much too much skin for your liking bathing suit.

It isn't as bad as you thought it'd be, but it's still pretty weird. It's a nice color that compliments your skin tone, the top covering thing 1 and thing 2 snugly but there's this odd V shape in the middle that goes down slightly and connects with a sort of clasp.

The bottom is actually pretty cool. They match the top, and they _look_ like shorts. They also cover your bottom nicely, which you're grateful for.

Still, you steal a pair of Han's basketball shorts, slide them on, grab one of his baseball caps and put that on too, and wrap a towel around your shoulders as if it were a cape.

You run out of the bathroom, your sandals smacking against the hardwood floor as you run out into the living room where the three boys are lounging.

The other 5 are out in the store buying ingredients for barbeque as well as cold desserts for after dinner.

You enter the living room, make a corny superhero pose as the three boys look at you, and you say "Super Y/N is here, ready to conquer those evil waters!"

They give you an amused look before Han asks, "Are those my shorts? And my cap?" 

You freeze, before turning to Chan and asking if he's ready to go, trying to hide the fact that you stole Han's clothes.

"Yup." Chan says, putting his phone in his pocket and pulling out his keys. "Manager-nim said that no one's going to be at the pool today thanks to a sports game, so we should be good until the others get back."

You jump up in joy as you clench the edges of the towel tighter and run out of the door.

Last year, you, Stray Kids, and their manager, had another talk. But this time, you weren't nervous. Because you _wanted_ to have this talk. You all discussed what you could and could not do as a human, for your safety. You could be in the dorm as a human, go out to the park across the street, but anywhere further than that you had to have permission.

You're on better terms with your manager now, and it makes you happy.

You get off of the elevator and make it to the doors of the swimming room. You stand there, bouncing from foot to foot, waiting for the others to get there. They come after a minute, and you excitedly wave them over.

"Okay, okay. Relax, we're here." Changbin says, laughing as he unlocks the door to the pool. When you step in and that chlorine-filled air hits your nostrils, you freeze.

_Water._

You're not scared of the water, but you've never really gotten your head under it. The most you've done is have your chin hovering slightly over the bath water. And that with the combination of a _bathing suit_ makes your stomach knot together even tighter.

"Come on." Changbin says, grabbing your hand and pulling you in. He sets his bag down on a nearby bench as Han and Chan walk around you to set their things down too. Chan turns around, and notices you standing there.

"What's wrong, pretty?" He asks, walking over to you.

"Oh, n-nothing." You say giving him a fake smile.

"Well then, take your towel and shorts off and join us!" Chan says happily, pointing to the other two, shirtless boys that are already in the pool splashing water at each other.

You hesitantly take off the towel, goosebumps arising on your skin from the cold as Chan takes the towel from you and sets it on the bench where their other stuff is. You stand there for a moment, watching Chan take off his shirt. A blush crept onto your face as he turned around and smiled at you with that stupidly cute smile.

“Well? Let’s go then!” He said, jumping into the pool and knocking the other two out of their fight for a moment before attacking Chan with water.

You took a breath and pulled off the shorts and threw them onto the bench. You took off the hat, slid off your sandals, and put them where the other things were. You walked to the edge of the pool, and sat down, letting your feet dangle in the water. The other three halted their actions as they noticed you. You looked at them confused, turned your head, and looked back to them.

“What? Is someone there?” You asked, confused.

“You’re just… really pretty.” Chan says, swimming over to you. “Come on. This side isn’t deep anyways.”

You grab his hand and lower yourself into the pool. The water only reaches half way up your chest, and it enables you to stand comfortably.

“Huh.” You say out loud. “This isn’t so bad.”

“Yeah, duh! Wait until you get over here! It’s so deep you can’t see the bottom!” Han yells from the other side of the pool, resulting in getting hit in the back of the head by Changbin.

“He’s exaggerating!” Changbin yells to you before Han tackles him into the water.

Han’s words make you freeze, until Chan puts a hand on your shoulder and squeezes your hand a bit.

“You’ll be fine.” He says, kissing your forehead. “I’ve got you.” 

His words make your shoulders ease as he leads you slightly deeper into the water.

“Wanna learn how to float on your back, Y/N?” He asks, extending the last syllable of your name in a cute-sexy way. It makes your face heat up as you nod, and he moves to stand to your side.

As Changbin and Han spent 10 minutes fighting in the water, Chan successfully taught you how to float on the water. Once you were comfortable doing it on your own, he pushed you over to where the other two idiots were on opposite sides of the pool, catching their breath.

“Hey, look at you go!” Han said once he saw you.

“You’re pretty damn good. Chan-hyung’s a good teacher, huh?” Changbin asked, swimming over to your spot in the pool.

“Hell yeah.” You say, closing your eyes as your ears are filled with pool water and you can feel Changbin’s presence next to you.

He pokes you on the nose once, then twice, then thrice until you open your eyes. “Yes?” You ask.

“Nothing.” He says. “You just look really peaceful.”

“So you want to disturb me?”

“No. I’m just wondering how you’ll get back to the shallow side on your own.” He says, laughing evilly before swimming away, most likely to the other side of the pool. You now realize that Han isn’t on your other side anymore and Chan hasn’t been heard of in 5 minutes. You panic, realizing that you weren’t taught how to stay afloat in deep water, nor how to actually swim.

“Guys?” You call out. You can hear some stifled laughter, but you can’t tell where it’s coming from. 

“Guys?” You call again. You sigh.

“You’re all assholes.” You say, pouting.

“Okay, okay. Don’t be like that.” Chan says as he swims over to you. He helps you upright and supports you so you don’t flail around in the deep end. You both manage to the shallow side where Han and Changbin are using Han’s phone to record you both. You stick up a middle finger at them and the camera as you stand up.

“Ha ha, very funny.” You say sarcastically. “This is why I like Danceracha better.”

Both of their expressions go flat as Changbin sets down the phone. “What did you say?” He asks.

“You heard me.” You say, laughing as you splash some pool water at them.

“I’m gonna tackle you.” Han says smiling, getting up and walking over to where you are, still laughing.

“None of that. Maybe later. The other’s are back from shopping.” Chan says, putting his phone down. You step out of the pool and stick your tongue at Han as Chan hands you your towel and shorts. Han glares at you playfully as Changbin sticks his tongue out and puts up his middle finger.

“You don’t actually like Danceracha better, right?’ Chan whispers to you as you all exit the pool room.

“I don’t have pick favorites in Stray Kids, Channie.” You say, then kiss his cheek and take ~~your~~ Han’s hat out of his hand. “You’re all the best.”

He blushes and presses the button for the elevator.

“That’s how it should be, right?” Chan asks once you’ve all entered the elevator.

“Yup.” You say. “Forever and always.”

_“Forever…”_ Chan thinks as the elevator goes up, Han attacks you with tickles, and Changbin records you both.

  
  


_“Yeah. They’re right.”_

  
  
  
  
  


Chan looks at you with sad yet loving eyes.

  
  
  
  
  


_“Because you make Stray Kids, Stay. Forever and always.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was listening to Andy Grammer's 'Don't Give Up On Me' while writing the scene where Chan helps Y/N into the water, and oh wow that gave me feels uwu
> 
> Bro it's March. School's almost over for the summer, what the absolute   
> h e l l?
> 
> Okay, bye bye. My last class for the day is about to start soon.


	19. Tricks (And A Sweet Treat)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hell yeah, dude, Halloween in March :P
> 
> Spoiler alert: There is a kiss scene lolz
> 
> I really like making Stay and Chan kiss, but he's soft for us so I kinda have to uwu
> 
> Also I forgot to say this, but when you and Woojin were attacked, they never found who did it. Sorry ┐(￣～￣)┌
> 
> I have a math test, ttyl ( ◡‿◡ *)

Ah, yes. Halloween. 

The holiday of spooks, scares, and most importantly: candy.

You've heard of Halloween from Felix and Chan's stories from when they were back in Australia, and you've seen them dress up for Vlives and such, but you've never actually experienced it.

It's not as commonly celebrated in Korea as it is in the West, but it's more celebrated now thanks to the newer generations.

And now, as Seungmin promised you last year, you were going to get the chance to celebrate it. 

The other boys had already picked out their outfits, with your help, and you felt good knowing that you had a good fashion sense.

Chan went with his classic vampire outfit, with fake fangs, the dark make-up and everything. It did, however, clash with his newly dyed, brightly colored hair.

Minho had gone as Frankenstein which paired nicely to Han's male version of the Bride of Frankenstein. Same hair black hair with the white streak, but instead of a dress he had on a flowy white shirt (that showed the outline of his nipples at a specific angle,  _ how did I let this happen? _ ) and these white jeans with white combat boots. They made him around 2 centimetres (not even a full inch) taller, which he liked.

Changbin went as Spider-Man. Han said it was very childish until Changbin used these fake web shooters on him and got them caught on his shirt. Those things were strong and  _ sticky _ , and he was able to use them to throw Han onto the couch. It was a funny sight.

Hyunjin went as Harley Quinn, which made him get a dirty look from Jeongin, since he had already rocked that look back in 2020.

Jeongin, however, was a skeleton from  _ Dia de los Muertos _ (Day of the Dead). He had dressed up in the right, festive clothing, gotten his make-up done (which looked lovely) and even had a hat. He's a happy child right now.

Felix was dressed up in a Slytherin costume from Harry Potter, and kept poking you with his wand, which tickled a lot.

And Seungmin was dressed as Pennywise. It was especially creepy since 1) He had a sore throat that day and didn't talk much, and 2) He really liked popping up out of nowhere and disappearing when you least expected it. He scared Chan a few times. You couldn't help but laugh.

You were dressed as a marionette doll. You had the fake joints, dead-looking eyes, wig, make-up, and outfit. But, on your way to the place for trick-or-treating, you would be a Representer. You were glad your costume didn't feel uncomfortable when you transformed, or else you wouldn't want to wear a costume at all.

You'd be in Seungmin's candy basket until you arrived at a neighborhood known for having tons of candy during Halloween, and just as many trick-or-treaters. The streets were dark, only lit by candles or Halloween decorations, and the make-up on the boy's faces would make them unrecognizable as K-Pop idols. But you'd be able to pick them out in a sea of trick-or-treaters.

Because they're your family.

You've all stepped out of the company car about a street away from the neighborhood, and you jump out of Seungmin's basket, look around to make sure no one's nearby, and transform.

"Be good!" Your manager yells as you all walk away. Felix hands you another bag and you all agree to stick to your plan and split up into three pairs. You, Chan, and Han in one pair, Changbin, Minho, and Jeongin in the second, and Hyunjin, Felix, and Seungmin in the last pair.

You, Chan, and Han walk towards one house decorated in huge fake spiders, cobwebs, and skeletons. 

"You think they'll have good candy?" Han asks.

"How can candy not be good?" You ask him.

"Poor, innocent, Y/N." Han says, dramatically sighing as he wraps an arm around your shoulders. "You clearly don't know the disappointment of getting raisins or candy corn from someone."

"I like raisins.." Chan mutters.

"Not on Halloween, ya don't!" Han exclaims as he knocks on the door. You stifle a laugh as the door opens to reveal a nice looking old lady.

"Trick-or-treat!" You all exclaim in unison.

"Why, hello. You all look so nice. Give me a moment to grab the candy bowl." She says as she looks behind the door and pulls out a bowl of chocolates. She hands you each a huge chocolate bar, and smiles.

"Enjoy, dearies." She says as she closes the door.

"Thank you!" Chan says, even though the door is already closed.

"Damn!  _ This _ is what I'm talking about!" Han says as you all walk to the next house.

You spend around 45 minutes walking to each house in the neighborhood. It's a pretty big neighborhood. You're all laughing and talking, saying hello to other people in costumes, and you've passed the other two groups a few times.

By the end, Han had left you and Chan to try to steal some candy from Hyunjin and Felix, while simultaneously trying to get back at Seungmin for spooking him earlier.

You and Chan were walking around, admiring all of the houses, when you saw a kid in a tiger costume crying. Your heart hurt watching him, so you walked over to him and tapped him on the shoulder.

He turned to you, sniffling and rubbing his eyes as you asked, "Hey, what's wrong?"

He pointed to a chocolate bar, similar to yours, unwrapped and on the ground of the street. Ants had already started crawling over it, which made tears flow out of his eyes faster.

You felt pity for the child, so you took the large candy bar the old woman had given you and handed it to him.

"Don't drop this one. It's the only one I have." You said to him, smiling as he took it. You stood up from your crouched position in front of him and he hugged your waist tightly. You returned the hug before he let go and ran back to a woman you assumed to be his mother. She nodded at you in thanks, and the two walked off.

"Wow." Chan said from behind you. "Who taught you to be so kind? Everyone who lives in that dorm are rude assholes."

You turned to him with a sarcastic look. "No, they aren't. Besides, you raised me to be kind and helpful."

"I guess I did." He said, taking your hand as you continued on further down the street.

Chan pulls out his phone to check the time. "We have to meet up with the others in about 20 minutes. We should head back."

"We have time for  _ one _ more house." You say, pulling Chan across the street to a house you haven't been at yet. "Besides, I want to win the competition for having the most candy."

_ "What competition?"  _ Chan wonders as you approach the last house of the night.

You knock on the door once. No one answers. You knock again, you hear some shuffling inside. Finally, the door opens.

There stands a man who looks a bit taller than Hyunjin, giving you both a confused look. He reeks of the smell of marijuana and it takes all of your willpower not to plug your nose.

"T-trick or treat?" You say nervously, holding out your bag to him.

He paused for a second before asking with slurred words, "Aren't ya too old to um.. be doing this?"

"Y/N." Chan says, giving this guy an unimpressed look. "Let's go back to the others."

He grabs your wrist to lead you away until you feel a different hand grab your other wrist. You yelp and turn around to see that same guy, who you assume to be high, squinting at you.

He starts to giggle for a nice 30 seconds until he stops and says, "You, uh, look oddly familiar. Maybe I uh, seens you somewhere? At a park?"

He hiccups, then his grip on you loosens as you frantically tug your wrist back and walk away with Chan, quickly. His words replay in your mind, and you don't even know Chan is trying to talk to you. Or that you both have stopped in a street that is close to where you're supposed to meet up with the others.

"Hey. What's up?" He asks, looking at you concerningly.

"Nothing, it's just… nothing." You say, shaking your head as you get rid of your cloud of thoughts.

"Don't think about that guy. He was a loser. He didn't even have any candy." Chan says, trying to lighten up the mood.

You laugh slightly, then shake your head again.

"He was a loser." You say, smiling at Chan.

"See, I told you." He says to you, winking.

You both stand there for a moment, staring into each other's eyes as you make a silent agreement.

You both crash your lips together, your arms wrapping around his neck and his finding their way around your hips. You relish in his body warmth and the softness of his lips, feeling like it's been an eternity since you've last kissed. You part for a second before coming back together, not wanting to part just yet. 

Your nails scratched lightly at the back of his head, earning a groan from him. He tasted sweet, like gummies. It must've been from the Halloween candy.

But, a buzz from Chan's pocket makes him pull away from you, cheeks painted red as he curses under his breath and pulls out his phone.

**BinBin**

_ Hurry up dude, we're all waiting for you both. _

_ Istg if you're making out behind a house or something I'm telling manager-nim to leave you both here _

Chan shows his phone to you, and you laugh at the text before placing a quick peck on his lips.

"I mean, we probably shouldn't keep them waiting." You say, letting your hands fall to Chan's arms.

"Fine." Chan grumbles before sliding his phone back into his pocket and grabbing your hand, leading you both to the car.

You both get there in 2 minutes to find Changbin leading on the passenger car door and Han sitting on the hood of the car, the rest of the members inside. Changbin notices you both, but before he can question where you both were, you exclaim, "I HAVE THE MOST CANDY!" and run towards the car.

Han hops off of the hood before yelling, "NO YOU DON'T! I DO!", and opening the car door to compare his stash to yours.

You slide in next to him and compare your candy as Felix joins in next to Han and shows you what he has. Jeongin is in the row behind you, kneeling in his seat, trying to see what kind of candy you have as Minho and Hyunjin tell him to sit down.

Chan sits down in the passenger seat next to their laughing manager and Seungmin is eating a piece of candy behind him as Changbin complains how you two were probably making out somewhere and were slowing you all down.

As manager-nim started the car and drove away, you sat smugly in your seat, happy to have won the bet between you, Han, and Felix.

It was a nice ride back home, but you couldn't stop thinking about that man's words.

_ "Who was he? Has he truly seen me before?" _ You ask yourself as you stare at the car window.

Then you turn your head to look at the car full of talking, resting, and eating boys.

_ "I could care less. I've got these dudes to worry about." _ You think, stealing a pack of gummies from Han's basket while he isn't looking.

  
  


You rip open the pack and take out 3 gummies, looking out of the window again.

Suddenly, you frown.

  
  
  
  


_ "But not for much longer." _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who do y'all think that guy was? Maybe he has seen you somewhere....
> 
> Lolz
> 
> Also, I was imagining a van that could hold 10 people. Idk if those exists, but that's what was in my mind at the time.
> 
> I'm eating pizza right now, see y'all tomorrow in chapter 20


	20. V-Live Of The Decade

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love replying to y'alls comments, it makes me feel good.
> 
> Istg I have the last chapter already in my mind, and everytime i think about it, it makes me almost cry.
> 
> Don't smoke marijuana. Probably should've said that last chapter, but I'll say it now. Just don't.

_ January 25, 2025 _

That's what reads on the calendar posted on the fridge. You remember Chan doing that back in 2022 because you all had forgotten about 4 interviews in a row, resulting in the boys showing up late and having to rush their make-up.

That was a very funny ti- wait. Huh? 2025? No. That can't be right. You think back to your most recent New Years celebration.

"The fireworks  _ did _ spell 2025 in the sky, but I didn't actually think that was this year." You think as you hop down from the kitchen counter and walk into the living room. You're a Representer right now, which makes your walk much longer, but you're too distracted to care.

"How is it already 2025? And  _ January _ at that? It's going to be February soon… then…" 

Tears are slowly but surely running down your face as you collide with something. It's not the couch. It's on the couch? No, it actually feels like jean material? You look up to see Han on his phone with Changbin looking over his shoulder. He notices you and smiles, turning off his phone.

"Hey, Stay!" He says cheerfully, then notices your tears. "Hey, what's wrong?"

He picks you up and brings you up to his face, with Changbin's head resting on his shoulder, also having a concerned look on it.

"Are you hurt?" Changbin asks.

You shake your head sideways, then pull out your notepad.

"It's January." You write, tears already stopped but you were still upset.

"What's wrong with January?" Changbin asks.

"You guys disband in March. Then I'll be gone." You write, feeling new tears build up in your eyes.

"Hey, no, no. Don't worry about that. Don't think about it." Han says, kissing you on the forehead. "It's 2 months away. No big deal."

"Yeah, you still have 2 months with us and his dumbass." Changbin says, pointing to Han and snickering.

"Hold on, Stay." Han says, glaring at Changbin as he sets you down on the couch. Changbin jumps up and runs away into his dorm as Han sprints after, yelling Changbin's name with empty death threats.

Their silliness makes you laugh, and you wipe your eyes and put your notepad away. Chan walks in the living room from the hallway that the other two just ran down, and he points down the hallway with a confused look on his face.

You just shrug and giggle as Chan smiles at you and picks you up from the couch.

"Hey, Stay. I'm going live in a few minutes

Care to join me?"

You smile and nod. You liked being with Chan while he was live. It's always fun watching him interact with his fans.

He kisses you on the forehead and sets you back down on the couch. "Meet me in my room in 5. We'll go there together."

You nodded as he walked away, then jumped off of the couch to go get a snack in the kitchen.

But as Chan was walking back to his room to change clothes, excitement grew in his stomach at what he had planned for you.

\---------------------------------------------------------

You were hidden in the pocket of Chan's jacket as he entered the JYP building. With a quick nod to the lady at the front desk, he walked down one hallway, turned down another, and stepped into the elevator.

After a minute, you felt him step out of the elevator and walk down another hallway, turn, and enter a room. He shut the door before saying, "It's empty."

You jumped out of his pocket and looked around the room. You made an immediate decision that you loved this room. The walls were painted white, making the room seem really bright even though there wasn't a window in here. The floor had a very pretty carpet set in the middle of the floor, with a nice floral pattern on it. There was a white couch with red pillows in one corner and a wooden coffee table in front of it.

On the opposite wall was a long table that matched the color of the coffee table, running along said wall with 5 chairs around it. There was a short cabinet directly ahead of you both that was a darker shade of the table that had a vase full of yellow flowers in it.

Chan walked over to the table and sat down in one of the chairs, set up his laptop which he would be using to record, placed his bag on the chair next to him, and turned to you, motioning for you to come to him.

You leapt up and onto the table, sitting next to the laptop facing Chan.

He clicked a few times, typed something in, pulled out his phone from his bag, and started the live.

He was talking for about 15 minutes, and you were enjoying every second of it. He was answering questions, reading comments, and laughing at jokes that were said to him.

Then he said something you weren't expecting.

"I actually have a surprise for you all. I would like you all to meet someone."

The comment section filled with questions. "A sibling?" "Maybe he's pranking us." "Oooh do you think it'll be someone from ITZY?" "It has to be someone we don't know?" "Who Channie?"

Chan turned to you and smiled. "Come on. Don't be shy."

You looked at him confused, before you realized. Chan wants them to meet  _ you. _

"It's alright. I talked it over with our manager. He gave the okay." Chan says softly. You slowly step from behind the laptop to be in front of the camera, leaning back into Chan's chest.

"Everyone, meet our Representer. Their name is Stay." Chan says.

Soon, the comments are overflowing, and you can only catch a few. Thankfully, they're positive. "Wow, she's so cute!" "She? It could be a he." "Awww ❤❤" "That represents us? No way! 😍💫"

Chan apparently caught the question comments, and answered them truthfully. "We call Stay by they/them pronouns since we don't know the gender. No, they cannot talk. They have a notepad to write on, though. Yes, they are very cute." Chan says the last one with a slight laugh.

You feel your cheeks heat up as his words, although it isn't visible in that form. You feel a bit more confident now, and you stand up from leaning against Chan and wave your lightstick in the air, as a way to say "Hi."

The comments once again flood with compliments, questions, and a concerning amount of heart emojis.

You pulled out your notepad, scribbled on it for a second, then tugged on Chan's shirt sleeve and put the notepad in his face.

"They say that they love you all, and they're so proud to represent you guys." Chan smiles at the laptop, then turns back to you. "They love you too, Stay."

Your smile grows wide as you turn and go up to the camera. You blow a kiss at it, which results in more loving comments. You like the feeling of being loved, even if it's by complete strangers.

Chan continues to talk to the people watching his live as you read the comments. They're all so supportive, and kind. 

One comment caught your eye that said, "I don't think any group has shown their Representer on camera. This is going to be talked about for a while!"

"Maybe. Who knows?" Chan says laughing slightly at the comment you were just reading.

You hope. Stray Kids have broken serious standards as their time as a group. But all it does is get them more love. They aren't your average K-Pop group.

They're special.

  
  


You like to think it's because of you. It could be.

Either way, you're glad you got to watch these boys grow up.

  
  


You don't want it to end. It's like a good TV show. You're grateful you got to see what happens at the end, but you're sad it's over.

  
  


It has to though.

So they can move on to the second chapter of their lives of fame.

  
  
  
  


And you don't want to hold them back from that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ONE MORE CHAPTER TO GO WTF AKDHENDAKNDSBDH
> 
> I'm nervousssss idk if y'all will like the ending 😩
> 
> Anyways, I gotta go. Also, it's funny that the last chapter will be posted on a Friday (at least where I live)
> 
> Okay bye 🗿❤


	21. I'm Not Ready, But It'll Be Okay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaaaAHHHHHHHHHH-
> 
> anyways um, hi. We made it. The last chapter of the series.
> 
> Literally I started writing this yesterday because I had some good ideas for it, and I think I cried as I re-read what I wrote yesterday.
> 
> Okay enjoy 😣✌

March 25, 2025.

Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.

  
  


Excuse your language, but you just can't help it. You're nervous. No, actually. You're _scared_.

Today is the day you've dreaded since March of 2024.

Today is the day Stray Kids will disband.

Today is the day you disappear.

But you won't think about that right now. Right now, you're in your human form helping Seungmin pack the rest of his clothes in a suitcase. 

"It won't close!" Seungmin whines, pushing down harder on the suitcase.

"Let me try." You say, standing up off of the bed. He moves and you turn around, plopping down on the case. "Zip it up, quickly."

Seungmin does as you say, grabbing the zipper and pulling it all away around.

"There we go!" He exclaims as you stand back up. "Thank you, Y/N."

"No problem." You say, smiling. Out of nowhere, you both hear a crash, and turn your head towards the door.

"Ah, damn it." You say under your breath as you walk out of the room and into the living room. _Unsurprisingly,_ you find Han and Hyunjin tussling on the floor.

"What the hell is going on!?" You ask, giving the two boys, well more like _men_ , an annoyed look.

They both turn to you as Hyunjin releases Han's pinned wrists and sits up.

"Oh, come on, Y/N. One last fight before we leave?" Han asks, giving you puppy eyes.

"Nope, none of that shit. There's still a lot to be done. Get up. Now." You say, pulling Hyunjin off of Han. 

"Fine." Hyunjin pouts as he walks back to his room, not before throwing a middle finger over his shoulder. "I'll get you next time, Han Jisung."

You look at Han who just laughs and shrugs as he jogs past you to his own room. You sigh before hearing Felix call for you.

You walk the short trek into the kitchen where Felix was, seemingly busy with something in his hands.

"Yes?" You ask Felix, startling him a bit as he turns around.

"Look!" He says, showing you the object in his hands. "I made it myself!"

He was holding a macaroni necklace. Between each piece was a sphere bead, each of a different color.

"Aw, Felix. This is adorable." You say, taking it out of his hands and putting it around your neck. "Thank you."

"Just a little gift so you have it forever!" Felix says to you, smiling.

Suddenly, there's a knock on the door.

"I'll get it!" Minho calls, walking towards the door. He opens it to reveal their manager, who looks like it spent 2 hours getting ready for the day, and at the same time, just woke up and drank coffee for breakfast.

Freaky, I know.

"Hey, you all! Are you ready to go?" Their manager asks, stepping into the almost empty dorm room.

"Almost. We're going to do one more check of the place before we leave." Minho says.

"Ah, good, good." Their manager says, sighing sadly. "It'll be boring without you eight here.

"You mean without the maknae line screaming 24/7?" You ask, peeking your head from around the corner.

"Exactly." Manager-nim says, winking at you.

"Well, the cars will be downstairs shortly to take you all to your homes. I'll say my goodbyes then." He says, nodding at Minho as he leaves the dorm.

"Hey, everyone. Get in the living room for a second." Chan calls, clapping his hands.

You all walk into the living room to find Chan standing in the centre.

"Alright, since everything's packed, everyone take one final look around. In every nook and cranny. I don't want to leave anything here."

The boys nod at their leader, and the eight of them spread out to make sure they aren't leaving anything behind.

You watch them with a smile on your face and sadness in your eyes.

_"What's next for them?"_ You wonder, watching Changbin find about 4 ramen wrappers behind a blender and yell for the culprit to reveal themself. 

_"I know Hyunjin's doing modeling…. I think Changbin and Han may stick to rapping. Or was Changbin going to become a tattoo artist? Did Felix say he was going back to Australia? No, he's moving in with Chan. Maybe they both are? Was Jeongin going to sing or what? Oh god, are Hyunjin and Han going to kill each other the moment they step out of this building? Shit…"_

Your thoughts occupy the 10 minutes it takes them to finish looking around.

"Alright, everyone bring your luggage out by the front door. I swear to god, if you end up taking someone else's luggage we're going to have a problem." Jeongin yells, apparently becoming the new captain of this ship.

A few minutes later, you watch each member of Stray Kids bring out their respective luggage pieces and put them by the door.

"Okay, so, no clothes in the closets, no trinkets in the bathrooms, and no candy wrappers under your beds?" Chan asks, directing that last one especially towards Felix and Jeongin, who sheepishly shake their heads.

"Hey, um, guys?" You ask the boys.

Chan turns to you. "Yes, Y/N?"

"Um," You start, clearing your throat as you can feel the tears threatening to spill from your eyes. "I-I just wanted to say how damn _proud_ I am of all of you. You.. You've all grown so much and it's been an absolute pleasure being with you all these past seven years."

You wipe tears from your eyes and continue. "I wish, I _so_ wish I could stay here and watch you all pursue your new careers. But I can't. Though I am faithful that whatever you do, you'll be successful. I trust you boys."

Now, you're full on crying. Not from sadness, but happiness. You rub your eyes, trying to even your breathing as Chan comes to you and wraps his arms around you.

"I-I'll just miss you guys. I don't know what's gonna- what's gonna happen to me. Will I remember you all? Will- will you forget me?" You stutter out, crying harder as you feel 2, 3, no, 7 more bodies wrap around you and seal you in their comfort.

"Y/N." Chan says, tilting your head up so you are making eye contact with him. "We could never, _ever_ , forget about you. You've brought us so many memories, a-and pictures, and videos, it would be impossible."

You wipe your eyes and give Chan a slight smile as you take a deep breath and say, "I know, I'm overexaggerating, but… I just don't want to go. I want to stay here, with you all."

"I don't want you to go either." Jeongin says, his words muffled in the back of your shirt.

"If we don't say goodbye now, w-we might not get another chance." Chan says, letting a few tears escape from his eyes.

You take a breath as the other 7 members step around you to be behind Chan. You look around at them, your _family_ , seeing how their eyes are red but a comforting smile is placed on their faces.

You remember the first time you saw them 7 years ago. They looked like babies, honestly. Clean shaven faces, chubby cheeks, you thought they were all adorable. Now look at them. They're all older now, more mature, but they still look the same. They could never change in your eyes.

You looked Chan in the eyes as he gave you a reassuring smile. You took another breath, then transformed into your Representer form. You leaped up from the ground and into Chan's open hands.

"I'm proud of you, Stay. You've done so much for us." Changbin says to you.

"We're going to miss you." Minho says, squeezing the hand of a crying Felix.

"Don't f-forget about us." Felix says. "Please."

You shake your head sideways as if to say, "I could never."

"Once we say goodbye, you'll be gone. But you'll always be in our hearts." Seungmin says.

You touch your chest like Seungmin and notice that Felix's macaroni necklace is still on you, just a smaller version of it. You laugh slightly and grasp it, careful not to break the shells.

"We love you, Stay." Hyunjin says, wiping his eyes.

"Forever and always." Chan says, tears falling out of his eyes. You wish you could wipe them away, kiss his cheeks, and tell him you'll always be with him. With all of them. 

  
  


But you can't. 

  
  


Chan's quicker.

"Like ripping off a band-aid." Jeongin says, laughing slightly.

"Goodbye, Stay. We're going to miss you so much." Chan says, tears falling more freely now.

  
  


Then, you feel it.

  
  


Your back feels cold and exposed, but you already know what's happening. You smile at your family for one last time as you begin to disappear.

  
  
  


Little by little, the boys watch flakes of you break off of your back and float into the air. It takes over your head, arms, and legs. It doesn't look scary, though. It looks lovely. Like snow. You loved the snow.

The last thing they see of you is your bright eyes and smiling face before that disappears too. Now, the flakes that were once you run into the air and slowly grow smaller until there is nothing left. Even your necklace has gone with you.

They all stand there for a second, trying to process what had just happened, until Chan wipes his eyes and speaks.

"Come on, boys. We've got to go. The cars are downstairs waiting for us."

The others stand still for another second before turning towards the door. They grab their bags, open the door, and walk out of the dorm.

"You coming, hyung?" Felix asks from the doorway.

"Just… give me a second." Chan says with his back still turned to Felix.

He smiles at his leader before turning and walking away.

Chan stares into the space where the flakes of snow used to be.

"I'm proud of you, Stay." He starts, knowing he's just talking to himself. "You've done so much for us. I know Binnie already told you that, but it's true. And I just… I didn't think this day would come so fast."

He wipes the tears from his eyes before continuing. "But, we have to move on right? You'll never forget us, and we'll never forget you. We have too many pictures for that, heh."

He looks around the empty dorm before walking to the door. He slings his bag over his shoulders, grabs the handle of his suitcase, and flips off the main light. 

But before leaving the dorm filled with so many memories he wouldn't forget if he lost half of his brain, he turns to face the dark space.

He doesn't want to let go, but he knows he has to.

So, as he closes the door, he says to the empty dorm in a whisper:

  
  
  
  
  
  


"Thank you, Stay."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would y'all mind if I added a little bonus chapter?
> 
> Nothing fancy, just so you can know how Stray Kids' life is a year aftwrwards or smth?
> 
> AHHHHHHH I'm just freaked out about the last chapter. Cry with me? (ಥ﹏ಥ)
> 
> I just want to say thank you all so much for reading. It was super nice seeing how my first work got so much love. I'm glad you all enjoyed it.
> 
> See you in my next work 😉💖


	22. Fast Foward To The Future

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a bonus chapter because y'all are lovely ;)
> 
> Again, nothing much. Just to see what SKZ are up to after they've disbanded.

April 12th, 2026

More than a year after Stray Kids have disbanded.

A few months after they disbanded, they made a song called "Stay With You".

It was "A tribute to thank Stay and all they've done for us over the years", as Chan put it.

Now, what's next?

  
  


Well, Chan and Felix are roommates. They have a house in Australia where Chan is going to continue to produce beats and Felix is focused on graduating college.

Minho decided to become an actor and now has a lead role in an upcoming movie.

Changbin is a tattoo artist, like he said he might want to do, but he also still raps. He has made 2 songs with Chan so far.

Hyunjin is a dancer. He's been traveling the world dancing and teaches other people how. Han teases him for it a lot (for no apparent reason), but he's actually very proud of him.

Han, actually, went back to Malaysia and like Felix, is going to graduate college. Though, every holiday break he gets, he goes back to Korea to spend time with everyone, but especially Hyunjin.

Seungmin is a model for many brands. He's been on the covers of Allure, Dazed, and Vogue many times. He styles brands like Channel, Louis Vuitton, and Ralph Lauren. He's also a solo artist, and continues to make music (with the help of Chan, obviously).

And Jeongin. Our lovely Jeongin. He's a kindergarten teacher. He loves kids, and has decided to teach kids. He tells them stories about the times he's been to America. He'll sing them some of their old songs, and helps them make up new ones to get them interested in music.

  
  


Thankfully, their friendship hasn't changed at all. It's actually gotten much stronger over the past year.

  
  
  


April 12th, 2026

11:00 a.m (Sydney, Australia) 

9:00 a.m (Seoul, South Korea) 

8:00 a.m (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)

Me

Hey everyone

Our Channie

Yo

Child

Hey, hyung

Me

What time is it for you all?

Am I texting too early or smth?

Freckles

It's only 11 a.m over here

Jisungie

8 a.m for me

Me

Why are you awake at 8 in the morning?

Jisungie

I dunno

Drama Queen

It's 9 a.m where I am

Me

Well no shit

We both live in Korea dude

Our Channie

Be nice Minho

Drama Queen

Yeah be nice, Minho :P

Me

Just because we are over text

Doesn't mean you can forget honorifics

Drama Queen

You still love me though

Me

Fine

Seo Changbin

Hate to break up this love circle or whatever

But when's the next time we're gonna meet up?

Min1

Idk

I've been busy lately

Our Channie

The school year's almost over for Felix.

What about you Hannie?

Jisungie

Yeah same for me

Me

So some time in the summer?

Child

Or the end of May? Early June?

Min1

I wouldn't complain about that

Freckles

Neither would I

Me

Then it's settled

Our Channie

Hey look at what I found

_Attachment: 3 images_

  
  


Jisungie

Aww

Me

Wow, I was looking for these pictures forever

Freckles

This was Stay's first Christmas, right?

Our Channie

Yup

Child

Why does time fly so fast?

Seo Changbin

You wanna see something better?

Me

What could be better than these photos?

Seo Changbin

This

_Attachment: 1 video_

Our Channie

Hey this is when we took her to the pool!

Drama Queen

Oh yeah. You, Binnie, and Sungie.

Jisungie

Who taught her to flip the middle finger, though?

Me

….

Sorry

Freckles

Wooooooow hyung

Me

I said sorry!

Seo Changbin

Utter confusion…

Child

Lol funny

Our Channie

Well then

Ignoring what Minho-ah just told us

See you all in a month :)

Me

Bye hyung kkk

Child

Peaz ✌

Freckles

Bye everyone💖💖

Seo Changbin

See ya 

Drama Queen

Adios hoes

Min1

Rude, Jinnie

But bye

Drama Queen

Haha

Jisungie 

Love ya!

Me

Not me ya don't

Drama Queen

Not me either

Jisungie 

😉

\---------------------------------------------------------

  
  


As you can see, they haven't changed at all.

_June 1st, 2026_

  
  


And as the ghost of your Representer form sits atop of a branch of the tree giving them shade during their picnic, watching them laugh and chase each other around,

  
  
  
  


You're glad to see that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, thank you all for reading
> 
> My next fic will most likely have more chapters, so get ready for that ahaha
> 
> I'm so glad you all liked the book,
> 
> Have a lovely day, 
> 
> and I'll see you all later 😊💞💞


End file.
